Work & Retirement

New York City is profoundly affected by the intersecting mega-trends of global migration and population aging. This study focused on a neglected group of immigrants in NYC who arrived in the United States late in life. This group faces numerous linguistic, cultural, legal, age-related, and health obstacles to formal sector employment, retirement savings, and meeting basic needs. They are potentially excluded from the U.S. workforce entirely and from receipt of crucial old age support such as Social Security and Medicare benefits that require sufficient work histories.

The project examined the economic conditions, health needs, retirement plans, and use of public benefits among this population. In collaboration with the Chinese-American Planning Council, we carried out a survey and a series of qualitative focus group interviews at the organization’s Nan Shan Senior Center. Survey questions covered demographics, immigration background, health status, employment and income, household structure, social support networks, retirement expectations, and knowledge and use of public benefits such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and SNAP.

This project was funded by an Interdisciplinary Research Grant from the City University of New York in 2024. The primary investigators were Na Yin, CUNY Institute for Demographic Research and Baruch College, and Ruth Finkelstein.