Retirement’s Not Their Game

Between 1977 and 2007, employment of workers 65 and over increased 101%, compared to a much smaller increase of 59% for total employment (16 and over). The number of employed men 65 and over rose 75%, while employment of women 65 and older increased by nearly twice as much, climbing 147%.

And these older workers are working more. Most are full-timers: 56% in 2007, up from 44% in 1995.

While the number of employed people age 75 and over is relatively small (0.8% of the work force in 2007), this group had the most dramatic gain, increasing 172% between 1977 and 2007.

The increase in older workers can’t be attributed to baby boomers, because in 2007 the baby-boom generation—those individuals born between 1946 and 1964—had not yet reached age 65.

Source: Current Population Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov.