The employment problems of older Americans, and the government and private sector policies designed to alleviate them, are receiving greater attention. Later retirement is an important ingredient of many proposals to reinforce the financial integrity of the Social Security trust fund. The aging of the work force and population, together with the restructuring of the nation's industries, makes the problems of older workers more evident.
If the nation is to properly utilize its aging human resources by the turn of the century, labor policies must be developed during this decade. Although the percentage of older persons in the labor force will not increase dramatically in the near future, the number of older Americans who want to continue working is growing.
Federal policy for the aged is more income than job oriented, a position that warrants reassessment. A better knowledge base is a prerequisite for developing appropriate employment policies for older Americans. Designing these policies first requires an accurate diagnosis of the problems' causes.
The labor market problems of older workers include some that are specifically related to age, those compounded by changed employment conditions, and difficulties that may be a continuation and worsening of past problems. In the first category belong poor health and disabilities, conditions more likely in advanced years. In the second group belong the problems of displaced older workers, whose unemployment spells are often long and sometimes extend into involuntary early retirement. In the third category belong the problems of elderly women and minority group members, as well as workers with low levels of education, whose problems may be compounded by present or past discrimination.
The current work analyzes the labor market problems of older people and then examines government and private-sector policies that affect their employment prospects. The book's title indicates the new perspective developed from a synthesis of individual studies. Although the cause is not age alone, older Americans do have work- related problems. The information in this book can and should be . . .
