The papers compiled in this volume are based on presentations from a conference sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor and Wayne State University on the aging American work force. Specific issues include national health insurance, the portability of pensions, the rising cost of providing benefits, the nature and cost of worker re-education and retraining, the productivity of older employees, alternative work arrangements for "senior citizens," and the role of the government's Social Security system in national policy intervention.
Six sections encompass the twenty-eight essays: the aging of the work force as the "baby boomers" grow older, the "middle-aging" of the labor market, health issues and costs, the effects of the aging worker on productivity, their impact on economic distribution, and the challenges of the future. The book offers policymakers, employers, and workers a framework for understanding this new phenomenon in our society.