Older women set pace in labor force gains

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 (UPI) — The Census Bureau said Thursday women 65 years old or older made up the fastest growing segment of the U.S. workforce.

From 1990 to 2010, women 65 and older experienced a 4.1 percentage point increase in labor force participation, the bureau said in a news release.

By comparison, women age 16 through 64 experienced a 1.9 percentage point increase, men older than 65 experienced a 3.2 percentage point increase and men age 16 to 64 experienced a 5.2 percentage point decline.

“As with all age groups, the increase in labor force participation of women has been a driving factor for this overall trend,” said Braedyn Kromer, an analyst in the Census Bureau’s Labor Force Statistics Branch.

Overall, the percentage of people 65 years old or older who were in the workforce stood at 12.1 percent in 1990. By 2010, that had increased to 16.1 percent, the bureau said.