THE OLDER WORKER

Before we begin, we note that the word “older” has many connotations. Age is not only in the eyes of the beholder, it also varies with the law, custom, organisation, etc. Thus, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act which is the law of the land begins at age 40; the American Association of Retired Persons accepts membership in the organisation at age 50; one may retire with Social Security (at reduced benefits) at age 62; the “conventional” retirement age is considered to be 65; another law of the land bars compulsory retirement with a few occupational exceptions until age 70. Stepping gingerly through this minefield, we will also vary our age cutoffs, depending on the matter being discussed, the availability of data on what we are discussing, and wherever possible we will provide enough age detail so that we all can choose our own cutoffs to fit our own operations, geography, labour supply focus, etc.