A fitness trainer at the YMCA in Rochester, New York.

Marc Freedman challenged employers to invest in older adults who want meaningful work in the second half of their lives.

“Employers need to recognize, particularly those facing talent shortages, that there is more than one place to look when filling these gaps,” Freedman says in an interview in today’s online edition of The New York Times. “While many young people have an enormous amount to offer, there is another vast and growing pool of talent and commitment.

“And employers need to correct some misconceptions,” he told reporter Marci Alboher. “They often assume that people in their 50s and 60s have one foot out the door. But an accumulation of evidence supports the fact that turnover is less with this population than with young people. So it is worth investing in these individuals.”