National Older Workers Employment Week, 1997

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 6978 of March 7, 1997

National Older Workers Employment Week, 1997

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

American workers age 55 and older represent one of our
country's richest resources, and the value of their
potential contribution to our society is immense. An
estimated 70 percent of all Americans age 55 and older
already actively contribute to our common good--by
working, by volunteering, and by caring for sick and
disabled relatives, friends, and neighbors.

Despite their qualifications, however, many of these
Americans experience serious difficulty finding work if
they lose a job or desire new employment. Their search
for employment can become increasingly challenging as
they grow older.

Our laws and government agencies can--and do--offer
protections, programs, and services for older workers.
The Age Discrimination Act, the Older Americans Act,
and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act all
recognize the unique rights of such employees, and the
Department of Labor alone helps thousands of workers
each year through efforts such as the Senior Community
Service Employment Program.

But it is up to employers also to recognize the
potential of older Americans as employees--to recognize
that by every common measure of job performance, older
workers are as effective as younger people because of
their unique skills, experiences, and judgment. And, it
is appropriate that we designate a week to acknowledge
that all workers should be judged and employed on the
basis of their individual ability to do a job,
regardless of age.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the
United States, by virtue of the authority vested in me
by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do
hereby proclaim March 9 through March 15, 1997, as
National Older Workers Employment Week, and I urge all
employers when they hire new workers to consider
carefully the skills and other qualifications of men
and women age 55 and older. I also encourage public
officials responsible for job placement, training, and
related services to intensify their efforts throughout
the year to help older workers locate available jobs
and training.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
seventh day of March, in the year of our Lord nineteen
hundred and ninety-seven, and of the Independence of
the United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-first.