Pensions Are A Vital Workforce Tool For Retaining Public Safety Professionals
In a Forbes column, NIRS Executive Director Dan Doonan writes about role of pensions in recruiting and retaining public safety professionals.
He writes that some jobs become increasingly taxing as one ages. Airline pilots and air traffic controllers, for example, are subject to mandatory retirement ages. While not subject to mandatory retirement ages, many police officers and firefighters retire from their public safety job at earlier ages due to the dangerous and physically demanding nature of the work. It’s not in the public interest to have firefighters of an advanced age running into a burning building. Fortunately, public safety professionals typically have a defined benefit (DB) pension so they can retire at an appropriate age without worrying about their financial security.
Statement on Efforts in Alaska to Restore Pension Benefits to Address Grave Workforce Shortage
Alaska’s effort to restore a pension plan for public workers represents meaningful progress in addressing one of the state’s most pressing challenges: attracting and retaining a stable, experienced public workforce. While Governor Dunleavy has vetoed the legislation, the fact that the measure passed both the House and Senate demonstrates a growing recognition that retirement benefits are not just about retirement security — they also are an essential workforce management tool.
In a Forbes column, NIRS Executive Director Dan Doonan writes about role of pensions in recruiting and retaining public safety professionals.
