The Center for Productive Longevity (CPL) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that has been created and funded by Human Resource Services, Inc. (HRS), a management consulting firm organized by William K. Zinke in 1969. HRS was relocated from New York to Boulder, CO in 1990 and has contributed to popularization of the term “Human Resources,” as well as to an increasing recognition of the center-stage role played by the Human Resources function.

HRS has played a leadership role in confronting issues relating to aging, retirement and workforce planning since 1999, when it began the organization of an event in Washington, DC on June 7-8, 2000 that attracted major media attention, Meeting the Employment Needs of the 21st Century: National Conference on the Economic and Social Impact of Demographic Change (see two articles posted under Newsroom). In January 2001, HRS privately published a book, Working Through Demographic Change: How Older Americans Can Sustain the Nation’s Prosperity, based on the edited Conference presentations and contributed material; Senator John Breaux, the keynote speaker, distributed copies of the book to every member of Congress with a letter signed by him as Co-Chair of the Senate Special Committee on Aging.

In the intervening years, HRS has stressed the importance of incorporating the impact of demographic change in strategic workforce planning. With the oldest of the 77 million Baby Boomers reaching early retirement age of 62 in 2008 and thereafter at the rate of 4.28 million each year through 2025, HRS has organized a further event on June 7-8 in Washington, DC, National Conference on the New Human Resources Frontier: Utilizing Older Workers for Competitive Advantage. It will serve as the launching platform for CPL, which will be located in Washington, DC and will serve as a bridge between the talent needs of employers and workers 55 and older (Workers 55+) with the requisite skills and abilities to continue in productive activities.

Several factors underscore the importance of this initiative:

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that growth of the civilian workforce will diminish from 2.6% in 1980 to 0.4% in 2020.
• Confirming the reality of an aging and shrinking workforce, by 2012 almost 20% of the total U.S. workforce will be 55 and older, up from 13% in 2000.
• Labor shortages ranging from four to ten million are projected by 2010.
• In recent surveys, more than 70% of the 77 million Baby Boomers have indicated an intent to continue in productive activities, preferably on less than a full-time basis.
• This large and growing talent pool of Workers 55+–people with experience, expertise, seasoned judgment and proven performance–can help to sustain the nation’s productivity gains, economic growth, and our ability to compete in global markets.

The essential purpose of CPL is to serve as a bridge between the talent needs of employers and workers 55 and older with the requisite skills and abilities to continue in productive activities.