Return-To-Work is Win-Win
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Employees of state and local government perform a broad array of functions essential to American society -- such as teaching schoolchildren, protecting life and property, safeguarding the environment and public health, caring for the vulnerable, providing water and power, and guarding prisoners.
Public sector positions are twice as likely as those in the private sector to require a college degree; many require specific technical knowledge, such as public works engineers; and many involve physical risk, such as public safety, health and hazmat positions. As a result, qualified workers are essential to the provision of many public services, and filling positions can pose challenges, even during times of high unemployment.
Sometimes, those eligible to retire or already retired are the best persons for the job. Allowing employees to remain in their jobs or to be rehired after retiring is not unique to the public sector. These programs are the exception, not the rule: Recent research from Carnegie-Mellon University on professional school personnel found that only 2% of Pennsylvania retirees participated in such programs. They are, however, gaining momentum in industries where training and experience are critical and skilled workers are in short supply.
A recent article in the AARP Bulletin Today quoted a consultant saying, "Phased retirement is currently akin to motherhood and apple pie: win-win for everybody." The article also noted that while not all industries might consider it a necessity now, many have stated "it might be valuable in five years as the exodus of Boomers from the workplace increases."
To address this trend, Congress amended the Social Security laws to allow all Americans to work and draw their regular benefit penalty-free. More recently, the Pension Protection Act of 2006 specifically included provisions better enabling companies to draw from their retiree pool.
Progressive employment policies can match employers who need qualified workers with retired employees who seek to continue to share their experience and talents. These policies can serve everyone well when they are designed to be cost-neutral, are limited to positions that are hard to fill and for which the available candidates are few, and when abuses are eliminated.
USA TODAY August 18, 2009