U.S. Debates Mandatory Retirement as 11 Million Workers Stay on Past 65
Updated
Updated · NPR · Aug 14
U.S. Debates Mandatory Retirement as 11 Million Workers Stay on Past 65
3 articles · Updated · NPR · Aug 14
Summary
11 million U.S. workers over 65 are at the center of a growing debate over whether some jobs should again carry mandatory retirement ages.
1986 made most age-based forced retirement illegal, but limits still apply in safety-sensitive roles including air traffic controllers at 56 and commercial pilots at 65.
Yale professor Samuel Moyn argues older workers can block advancement in finite-slot fields such as tenured academia, politics and other elite white-collar jobs, and says mandatory exits could open positions.
Wharton economist Olivia Mitchell rejects that view as the "lump of labor" fallacy, arguing more workers create more jobs and that earlier retirement would raise the tax burden on younger Americans.
The clash reflects a broader shift in the labor force: since the mid-1980s, the share of employed Americans 65 and older has nearly doubled.