Extract

Few trends of the second half of the twentieth century were as defining as the labour force withdrawal of older men in developed countries around the world. Although beginning well before World War II, at least in the United States, the decline in labour force participation came to characterize the behaviour of men aged in their 60s and beyond and extended to those (for example aged 55–64) who would not, by anyone except perhaps the young, really be considered old (Figure 2.1). In some developed countries, almost no one aged 65 and older remains in the workforce, but even middle-aged men are far less likely to be in there today than they were a half century ago.