New research shows older workers are increasingly important to California’s economy. Los Angeles’s own records reveal why finding work, retraining and earning enough remain difficult.
California needs older workers. But when they lose a job, finding another can be harder than it was earlier in their careers.
The problem is growing as more Californians continue working into their late 60s and 70s. Some enjoy their jobs and want to remain active. Others cannot afford to retire.
A November 6 analysis from the Public Policy Institute of California projects that residents 65 and older will account for 23% of the state’s population by 2040.
The research also estimates that wages keep approximately 800,000 older Californians out of poverty.
But the public programs intended to help people find work have not fully adapted to an aging workforce.
Older workers are struggling to find new jobs
California’s workforce data reveal a substantial difference.
In the state’s federally funded WIOA Adult program, 54.3% of participants age 55 and older were employed six months after leaving the program in 2023, compared with 69.2% of participants ages 30–44.
Those figures describe program participants, not every older job seeker. They also do not establish that workforce services caused the difference.
But they raise questions about how effectively programs serve people who may have decades of experience yet need help entering a changing job market.
At PPIC’s recent discussion, California Policy Lab researcher Kara Segal reported that about half of displaced workers around age 70 remained without work three years after losing a job. Among displaced workers younger than 50, the figure was approximately one-quarter.
Segal also described a training-participation gap exceeding 12 percentage points between younger and older workers in the state workforce programs examined by her research.
The finding does not establish that every California employment program has the same gap.
Los Angeles already knows where services fall short
A 2024 City of Los Angeles report, AdvantAGE LA, examined the difficulties older residents encounter when seeking employment.
Between 2021 and 2023, 1,455 WorkSource participants age 55 and older entered employment, compared with 11,801 participants ages 19–54.
Older participants received only 10% of credentials awarded through the system.
The report also found that older job seekers were harder to place, but those who found work tended to remain employed longer than younger participants.
Someone who needs additional assistance getting hired may still be a reliable, experienced employee.
The city’s findings point to problems beyond job availability: limited training options, insufficient digital-skills assistance and difficulty helping workers transfer existing experience into new careers.
These challenges come amid broader changes in the local economy. Parriva previously reported on the disappearance of higher-paying jobs in Los Angeles, even as employment increased in other industries.
For someone leaving a physically demanding occupation, finding another job may require new skills without starting an entirely new career.
Language and job quality matter
California’s older workforce is also becoming more diverse.
PPIC projects particularly strong growth among older Latino and Asian American workers, including immigrants who arrived decades ago.
Some have spent their careers in agriculture, construction, hospitality or caregiving. Their experience has value, but moving into less physically demanding employment may require computer training, help documenting skills and access to different employers.
Los Angeles’s report identified gaps in training offered in participants’ native languages.
That makes Spanish-language assistance important, although its availability does not establish whether older Latino job seekers receive adequate support or achieve comparable results.
The financial stakes are substantial. Parriva’s examination of Latino household finances documented how wages, housing expenses and limited savings can leave working families economically vulnerable.
A job placement alone does not resolve those pressures.
Older workers may need predictable hours, health benefits, flexible schedules or work they can physically sustain.
Jessica Pitt, an assistant deputy secretary at California’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency, described employment as “a fundamental necessity for older workers’ economic security” during PPIC’s discussion.
That reality should shape how workforce programs measure success.
What help can older workers get?
California offers free job-search and training assistance through America’s Job Centers and CalJOBS.
Los Angeles also operates programs specifically for older residents.
The city’s Senior Community Service Employment Program provides temporary, paid, part-time training for eligible unemployed, low-income residents age 55 and older. Enrollment is limited.
A separate city program serves eligible older adults experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
Outside the city, Los Angeles County’s program offers community-based training and employment assistance. Eligible applicants may face a waiting list.
These services provide a starting point. But temporary training is not the same as securing employment that covers living expenses.
The measure that matters
California’s aging workforce is no longer a distant demographic forecast. Older workers already account for a substantial share of the state’s labor-force growth.
Los Angeles has identified barriers involving training, language access, career transitions and job placement.
The next measure of progress should be concrete: how many older residents receive training, how many find work, what those jobs pay and whether employment lasts.
The city and county should also be able to show whether their services reach workers in their late 60s and 70s, not only those approaching retirement.
California has good reasons to help older people who want or need to keep working.
Its challenge is making sure experience does not become a disadvantage when someone needs another job.
