[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 188 (Wednesday, September 27, 2000)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 57937-57938]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-24943]


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                         Presidential Documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 27, 2000 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 57937]]

                Proclamation 7345 of September 22, 2000

                
National Older Workers Employment Week, 2000

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                As a Nation, we are growing older, and so is our 
                workforce. Today, there are 49 million workers in 
                America aged 45 years or older--approximately 35 
                percent of America's labor force--and by 2008, that 
                number will grow to 62 million, or about 40 percent of 
                the workforce. One in four Americans between the ages 
                of 65 and 69 has at least a part-time job, and 80 
                percent of the ``baby boom'' generation intends to keep 
                working past the age of 65. Increasingly, older 
                Americans want to work, and for most, the opportunity 
                to work adds not only to the length but also to the 
                quality of their lives.

                The abilities, experience, and strong work ethic of 
                these older Americans are a precious resource for our 
                Nation in today's strong economy. With the unemployment 
                rate at its lowest level in more than a generation, 
                businesses urgently need to hire more workers if they 
                are to keep pace with the demand for their products and 
                services. Too often overlooked or underutilized, older 
                workers offer employers a broad and diverse pool of 
                talent.

                Recognizing the importance of older workers to our 
                Nation and our economy, the Congress unanimously 
                passed, and I was proud to sign into law, the Senior 
                Citizens' Freedom to Work Act of 2000. This legislation 
                eliminates the Social Security retirement earnings 
                test, a provision that withheld benefits from Americans 
                working beyond the age of 65. It allows older Americans 
                to enjoy the extra income and personal fulfillment that 
                work offers without being penalized, and it ensures 
                that companies facing labor shortages will have a 
                greater supply of experienced workers. The Act will 
                also help our economy grow without inflation and 
                encourage Americans to work longer, thus contributing 
                more to the tax base and to the Social Security trust 
                fund at precisely the time when the percentage of 
                younger workers paying into the system will be 
                decreasing.

                Older Americans have contributed much to the life of 
                our Nation and to the extraordinary growth and 
                prosperity we enjoy today. We owe them our respect and 
                gratitude; we also owe them the opportunity to continue 
                working as long as they desire. Through laws such as 
                the Older Americans Act, which I have called on the 
                Congress to reauthorize and strengthen, the Age 
                Discrimination Act, the Age Discrimination in 
                Employment Act, and now the Senior Citizens' Freedom to 
                Work Act, the United States Government guarantees that 
                opportunity. And, through the Senior Community Service 
                Employment Program at the Department of Labor and the 
                Administration on Aging at the Department of Health and 
                Human Services, older workers have access to the 
                programs and services they need to continue making 
                their own vital contributions to the American 
                workplace.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States, do hereby proclaim September 24 through 
                September 30, 2000, as National Older Workers 
                Employment Week. I urge employers across the Nation to 
                recognize the energy and ability of older Americans and 
                to develop new strategies for recruiting and utilizing 
                older workers. I also encourage public officials 
                responsible for job placement,

[[Page 57938]]

                training, and related services to intensify their 
                efforts throughout the year to assist older workers in 
                finding suitable jobs and training.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-second day of September, in the year of our Lord 
                two thousand, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and twenty-fifth.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 00-24943
Filed 9-26-00; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P