After a long decline, the Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) of older men in the United States leveled off in the 1980s, and began to increase in the late 1990s. We examine how changes in Social Security rules affected these trends. We attribute only a small portion of the decline from the 1960s-80s to the increasing generosity of Social…

Current Population Survey data were used to examine men's later labor force participation for the 1895-1934 birth cohorts. A substantial portion of differences may be attributed to changing levels of social security benefits, the proportion of workers receiving disability benefits, and the unemployment rate. (SK)

Work attachment of men aged 58-63 fell dramatically from 1969-89, with a sharp reduction at age 62 that is probably due to Social Security's early retirement provision. Nonpension income and the interaction between private pensions, personal assets, and Social Security may also play a large role. (SK)

The average retirement age for men shifted from 70 in 1950 to 65 in 1970 to 62 in 1985. Whether the trend toward early retirement has ended depends on interpretation of changes in the last 2 decades, including elimination of mandatory retirement, modifications in social security and pension plans, and increased longevity. (Contains 18 references.)…

Purpose: This article investigates how older Americans leave their career jobs and estimates the extent of intermediate labor force activity (bridge jobs) between full-time work on a career job and complete labor-force withdrawal. Design and Methods: Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, we explored the work histories and retirement…

A matched sample of Social Security and Current Population Survey records is used to determine life-cycle earnings patterns of White males. Estimated effects of schooling and experience compare well with other studies, but interaction effects with cohort do not. Military experience plays a powerful role in earnings differences across cohorts.…

The passage of the Contract with America Advancement Act terminated the Social Security Administrations Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income benefits for persons diagnosed with drug or alcohol addiction (also known as DA&A recipients), effective January 1, 1997. From an evaluation standpoint, the law created the opportunity…

The recent decline in the labor force participation rates of older Americans is well known and well documented. Dramatic changes in male participation rates occurred between 1968 and 1986. Declines were substantial as early as age 55 and as late as age 70. The trends for older women were much less dramatic. In 1988, nearly half of employed men and…

Disabled persons cannot be identified with precision. Because of this, there can be no single unambiguous count of disabled persons. However, the Social Security Administration surveys indicated that in 1966 and 1978, about 17 percent of the population considered themselves as having some degree of work disability. Severe work disability increased…

Recent trends toward earlier retirement have exacerbated the financial problems facing the Social Security system and many other public and private pension plans. The massive commitment of public and private funds to Social Security and pension funds is partly responsible for the trend to early retirement. This, in fact, was one of the early goals…

A model for examining the two basic approaches of encouraging later retirement is presented in which the coercive approach relies primarily on negative incentives such as benefit reductions, and the voluntary approach encourages continued employment through positive incentives and increased employment opportunities. The degree to which these…

Older women, who comprise two-thirds of the retired U.S. population, share substantially less of the $1.3 trillion worth of over 800,000 private and public pension plans by every way of measurement. Of the one-in-five women receiving pension income, some obtain it from their own paid work history, while others are widows and divorced women who…

This report discusses trends in the way Australian families are forming and re-forming, factors determining families' access to income, and proposals regarding reform of the income transfer system. The current shape of families in Australia is described in terms of a shift to marriage at a later age; leaving-home behavior of young people; the…

A study analyzed the changing nature of older persons in the labor force, factors that may affect their work decisions, and policy changes that could facilitate their continuation or reentry into the work force beyond the normal retirement age. Data examined during the survey indicate that while the number of people aged 65 and older is continuing…

This document analyzes the labor market problems of displaced older workers. Chapter 1 is an introduction. Chapter 2 describes the magnitude of the problems of unemployment, discouragement, and displacement of older workers. The outcomes of unemployment are discussed, with attention to the duration of unemployment, the effects of displacement, and…