Nearly a third of 65- to 74-year-olds were in the labor force in 2017, compared to a quarter of that age group in 2005. About 8 percent of residents 75 and up were working or looking for work in 2017 as well.

The Census can only tell us who’s working, not why they might be. But Carl Van Horn, a professor of public policy at Rutgers University, believes the answer is twofold: Lots of time, and so little money.

“People are living longer lives, and they’re worried they’re not going to have enough (savings) to sustain them,” Van Horn said.

NJ.com, February 15 2019

New Jersey is growing, but isn’t getting any younger.

While the population of the Garden State inches forward, the median age of its residents is inching upwards. The steady growth of the population comprises of mostly immigrants, but not necessarily young people.

So what’s making the state grow ‘older?’ Aging Baby Boomers.

“Two things are happening. You have a number of communities that have large single family homes and inhabited by baby boomers. These households have empty nesters, left with two people in their late 50s and 60s. That brings the age up in the average. On the other hand you have other communities along the Hudson river waterfront where younger couples raising families are moving in with kids. That is also highly correlated with school system data,” said James Hughes, university professor and dean emeritus of Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.

NJ.com, February 7, 2019

New Jersey’s women and working families just earned a hard-fought victory.

Gov. Phil Murphy recently announced an agreement with legislative leaders to raise the minimum wage for most workers to $15 an hour by 2024. This will bring financial relief to low-income families and strengthen the state’s economy over time. It’s also an important step toward making households safer and healthier.

Although New Jersey’s overall unemployment rate has gone down, the number of families confronting poverty and economic hardship is relatively stuck. Paychecks are not meeting basic needs. When you cannot afford the bills, food, and rent, you are not likely to be planning — or saving — for the future, either.

Op Ed by Debra Lancaster executive director, Center of Women and Work at the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations and Andrea Hetling is a Faculty Adviser at the Center for Women and Work and associate professor at the Bloustein School, January 25, 2019