How the Biden administration could give a boost to older workers Published: Dec. 28, 2020 at 4:58 a.m. ET By Nearly half of Americans can’t afford to retire—here are some ideas for keeping them employed The odds of being employed in a decent paying job with good benefits in your 60s are slim. istock Email icon . The barriers to employment among older workers remain formidable, especially due to the pandemic. But the new Biden administration has an opportunity to help. Consider this: Even in pre-pandemic 2019, when nearly 25% of the workforce was 55 and older, roughly 2.5 million people in that age group would have liked to be working but weren’t — largely due to ageism and age discrimination.