AARP Employment Principles

Income earned through employment is the foundation of most people’s savings and retirement income. These principles provide a framework for fair employment practices that enable people to work and save for financial resilience. 

Protect people from discrimination—freedom from discrimination is a fundamental right. All workers deserve to be protected from arbitrary discrimination in all aspects of employment, including hiring, compensation, promotion, termination, and training. Workers should be protected regardless of age, sex, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, national origin, or family caregiver status. AARP supports policies and programs that seek to redress past and current discrimination through active measures that ensure equal opportunity in all areas of life. 

Expand employment opportunities and economic security—employment policy should remove barriers to work opportunities. It should also expand employment opportunities for all who are willing and able to work. Those policies should minimize unemployment and underemployment and promote economic security. 

Help vulnerable populations—vulnerable populations should receive special help in finding and keeping employment capable of sustaining a decent standard of living. 

Increase job availability and quality—government and employers should promote job creation that accounts for the needs of older workers. Deteriorating job quality should be addressed. This includes wage levels that do not keep up with inflation, a decline in jobs with benefits, unpredictable schedules, unsafe working conditions, and the growth in contingent employment. 

Improve workforce development—individuals, employers, and policymakers must each play a role in ensuring that workers of all ages can develop new and update existing skills as the economy and labor market change.