AARP Hearing Center
In 2014, Lucy Galbraith relocated from Austin, Texas, to the notably cooler climate of Minneapolis, a move she called “invigorating.” Living in central Texas “was not healthy for me because I wasn't outside,” Galbraith says. “I drove from my air-conditioned house to my air-conditioned office to the air-conditioned store.”
Galbraith made this migration in her 60s to take a job as director of transit-oriented development at Metro Transit, which operates public transportation in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Her story is not unusual.
A worker crunch, especially in the attractive fields of technology and health care, is creating a prime opportunity for older people in Minneapolis. By 2022, there may be 239,000 fewer workers than jobs available in the area, so many companies have started to reconsider “how they think about the aging workforce and some of the incentives that are attractive to somebody at midlife or near retirement,” says Jonathan Weinhagen, president and CEO of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce.
This includes allowing phased retirement, in which employees gradually reduce their hours, and giving some part-time workers full benefits. At a recent forum hosted by the Minnesota Talent and Recruiting Network, state officials urged representatives from about 70 businesses, governments and nonprofits to consider implementing such policies to attract and retain older workers.
Minneapolis at a Glance
- Population: 425,395
- Portion of population 50 and older: 24.7 percent
- Median home value: $269,500
- Median household income: $63,590
- Unemployment rate: 3.2 percent
At Fairview Health Services, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit, some of the 34,000-plus employees may retain their benefits even if they move to part-time work and can adjust their schedules and shifts to balance family commitments, such as caring for aging parents.
Employees may also change their roles as they age, said Laura Beeth, Fairview's vice president for talent acquisition. A nurse seeking less physical work may transition to behavioral health or home care, while an older clinician might take on an adjunct faculty role at one of Fairview's teaching hospitals.
"It's about being creative and flexible and valuing experience,” Beeth says. “Experience is invaluable, and we need to treasure that."
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