Stopping Work At 60

Just 25 years ago in the industrialized nations, four out of five men between 60 and 65 would have had jobs. Today half the men in this age group are no longer counted as workers. In some European countries Austria, Finland, France, and the Netherlands only about 20 percent ofthis groups are still employed. In Britain, the United States and Sweden, barely one man in three between 60 and 65 has a full-time paying job. In Germany it is 1 in 5.Why have so many older men been cut from the work force. One reason is that many countries encouraged early retirement: France went so far as to lower its mandatory retirement age to 60. The theory was that early retirements would free up more jobs for the young, thus reducing the level of unemployment, which has soared particularly in Europe. But this has turned out to be largely a myth: most of the jobs opened up by early retirement are simply lost. "Restructuring is the order of the day in the industrialized world: work forces are being cut back both on the factory floor and in the company office. Older male workers are often the first to be let go. They are seen as expensive because of their age and having old skills that are difficult to renew.Those assumptions should be rethought in the light of the newest labor research, many economists now argue. As the ILO said last week, "The early retirement trend has gone too far and it will have serious long-term consequences if it is not reversed in the near future." Populations are already aging faster than they are growing in industrialized economies. With more retirees having to be supported by fewer workers, governments will have to spend more on pensions, social security and health care. In Europe, social-welfare systems are already at breaking point and in the process of being cut.Industrialized countries seem to have little choice but to find ways to stretch out working life. Generating more jobs is the simplest solution. The United States is the best among developed countries at doing that, but even it cannot produce enough new jobs. The ILO suggests that firms stop automatically putting the oldest workers out the door first, and countries must establish a phased transition between work and retirement.