How to Adapt Material Handling for an Aging Workforce

The workforce is getting older, and this is changing what constitutes a good workplace design.

In the United States, the median age in production, transportation, and material moving occupations reached 44.5 in 2025.[1] More broadly, the OECD points to aging workforces and persistent labor shortages as growing challenges for employers, while noting that older workers bring experience, reliability, and productivity benefits when work is well designed.[2]

For manufacturers, warehouses, and other high-volume, high-handling-intensity environments, this has clear effects on how tasks, workstations, and workflows should be designed.

Why this matters on the production floor

A task is not well designed just because one experienced operator can make it work.

The real test is whether the same task can be performed safely and consistently by people with different levels of experience, strength, and physical capacity. If the job depends on strength, workarounds, or habits, it is often more fragile than it looks.

That is one reason this is becoming a more practical issue for employers. OECD argues that employers need to manage an age-diverse workforce in ways that help people stay productive for longer.[2]

When the setup puts too much on the person

In many operations, there are still tasks where workers are expected to compensate for the setup around them. That may mean low lifts, long reaches, awkward heights, or loads that need manual adjustment before the next step can happen.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) makes a similar point in its work on older workers: extending productive working life depends not only on policy, but also on age-supportive practices that adapt work to people’s evolving capabilities.[3]

That makes workplace design more than a safety detail. It becomes part of whether the job is realistically sustainable over the long term.

What this means for buyers and operations managers

For buyers and operations managers, the implication is clear: ergonomics should come in earlier.

The question is not only whether a solution meets a minimum requirement. It is whether the work can be done safely, efficiently, and sustainably by different people in real operating conditions.

That is often where the strongest opportunities for improvement become visible.

To sum it up

If a task only works well because experienced staff know how to compensate for the setup, you should review the workstation itself. Better lifting and handling conditions can make the work more sustainable, more repeatable, and easier to perform across the workforce.

Sources

[1] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employed people by detailed occupation and age, 2025 annual averages: https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat11b.htm
[2] OECD, Ageing and employment: https://www.oecd.org/en/topics/sub-issues/ageing-and-employment.html
[3] ILO, Extending the productive working life of older workers: the role of human resource management: https://www.ilo.org/publications/extending-productive-working-life-older-workers-role-human-resource