A new report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) provides a detailed examination of the relationship between labor force participation rates and substance use. The GAO’s report, “Older Workers: Opioid Misuse and Employment Outcomes,” was requested by Senators Tim Scott (R-SC), Susan Collins (R-ME), Bob Casey (D-PA). The report builds on the efforts of the Senate Special Committee on Aging to support older Americans in the workforce.

Although the labor participation rate among Americans age 50 and older increased significantly in the years prior to the pandemic, the GAO findings show that older adults who misuse opioids are much less likely to be employed than their peers. According to the GAO, when compared with all older adults age 50 and older who did not misuse opioids, older adults who misused opioids were: