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EMPLOYMENT and ECONOMIC STATUS of OLDER MEN and W OMEN MAY 1 9 5 2 B u l l e t i n U N IT E D N o . S T A T E S M a u rice J. B U R E A U O F E w a n 1 0 9 2 T o b in , L A B O R C la g u e , D E P A R T M E N T S e c re ta ry S T A T IS T IC S C o m m is s io n e r O F L A B O R EM PLOYM ENT E C O N O M IC OLDER MEN AND STATUS AND OF W OM EN M A Y 1 9 5 2 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OP LABOR Maurice J. Tobin, Secretary BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS Ewan Clague, Commissioner For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D. C. - Price 30 cents LETTER OP TRANSMITTAL UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS Washington, D. C., May 28, 1952 The SECRETARY OF LABORS I have the honor to transnit herewith a report on the Bnployment and Economic Status of Older Men and Women* This publication has been de signed to contribute to informed understanding of questions arising from the effect of population, employment, and economic trends on the older age groups in our population. The data have been selected with a view to providing background information for persons concerned with the economic and employment problems of an aging population. Data have been presented separately for men and women, wherever possible, in order to reveal significant similarities and differences in their economic status and employment experience. The long term trend toward higher labor force participation among women, particularly those aged 45 to 54, requires increasing awareness of their special problems. Published and unpublished materials from a variety of sources have been used in the compilation. The principal sources, in addition to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, were the Bureau of the Census, the Social Se curity Administration, the Railroad Retirement Board, and the Department of Labor's Bureau of Employment Security. The cooperation and suggestions of the Women's Bureau have been particularly helpful. The Bureau of Labor Statistics acknowledges with appreciation the data made available by other agencies. There are serious gaps in available information on significant aspects of the problems of older workers. The lack of this information emphasises the importance of still further research needed to clarify ex isting knowledge. "Employment and Economic Status of Older Men and Women" is a current and more comprehensive presentation of material Included in the "Fact Book on Employment Problems of Older Workers," issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in August 1950. It was produced in the Division of Manpower and Employment Statistics, under the direction of C. R. Winegarden, Chief, Manpower Studies. Helen H. Rings planned and prepared the publica tion, with the assistance of Sophia Cooper, who provided the statistical services. Ewan Clague, Gounissloner Bon. Maurice J. Tobin, Secretary of Labor. CONTENTS Page Population trends .................... Increases in number and proportion of older persons .......... The trend toward urbanisation .................................... Regional variations in population growth, 1940-50 ................ Interstate differences in population 65 years and over ............ Changes in age distribution in selected metropolitan areas, 1940-50 Population estimates, 1950-75 .................................... 1 1 6 6 10 10 13 Trends in the labor force ............................................. Aging of the labor force .......................................... Changes in labor force participation of older persons ............ Industrial and occupational trends ............................... Employment by occupation, industry, and class of worker ........... Duration of employment on current jobs ........................... Extent and duration of unemployment of older w o r k e r s ............. Older workers in the experienced labor r e s e r v e ..... ............. 14 14 14 19 21 27 30 32 Life expectancy and the length of working life ........................ The increase in life expectancy.................................. The growing gap between total life and working-life s p a n ........ . 36 36 37 Income and sources of i n c o m e ......... .................... .......... Income of families ............. ...................... ........... Income of men and w o m e n .......................................... Sources of Income— June 1 9 5 1 ..................................... 40 40 43 43 Retirement and pension programs based on employment .................. Major social insurance programs .......................... ........ Old-age and survivors insurance prog r a m .......... ............ Railroad retirement and survivor benefit p r o g r a m .... ......... Public retirement and pension systems ............................ Federal civil service retirement system ....................... State and local government systems ........................... Pension plans in private industry ................................. 45 45 45 46 46 46 46 49 Extent to which workers eligible for pensions continue in employment .. 0ASI experience.................................................. Experience under the Railroad Retirement Act .................... . 50 50 51 Job experience of older workers ...................................... Productivity ...................... Absenteeism and injuryexperience..... ............................ Protective clauses incollectivebargaining agreements ............ Age limits in hiring ........... .*................................ The role of counseling and placement services .................... 52 52 52 53 53 55 Pertinent publications of the Department of Labor 57 TABLES Population Trends Number 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Page Population of the United States by age and sex, 1900-50...... Percent distribution of the population of the United States by age and sex, 1900-1950 ....................... . Urban-rural distribution of the total population and of the population 65 years and over, 1900-1950 ................. Percent changes in population grovth by region and age group, 1940-50 ....................................... •• Population 65 years and over, by State, April 1950 and percent of total population, 1940 and 1950 ....... ....... Age distribution of the population for selected standard metropolitan areas, 1950, and percent change since 1940 •• Population 14 years of age and over by age and sex, 1950 and projected 1975 ....................................... 2 3 7 8 11 12 13 Trends in the Labor Force 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. Age distribution of the labor force by sex, 1890-1950 ...... . Percent of population 45 years and over in the labor force, by age and sex, 1890-1950 ................................ Labor force status of older age groups in the civilian noninstitutional population, April 1952 and April 1945 ••• Percent distribution of the labor force by occupational group, 1910 - 5 0 ................... ....................... Number of employed persons by major occupational group, age, and sex, April 1 9 5 1 ................................ Percent distribution of employed persons by major occupational group, age, and sex, April 1951 ............. Percent distribution of workers with wage credits under :0ASI, by age group and last industry employed, 1948 ............ Distribution of employed persons by age group and class of worker, April 1950 ....................................... Duration of employment on current jobs by age and sex of workers, January 1 9 5 1 .......... ............. . Percent of wage and salary workers in each age group seeking work, by duration of unemployment, April 1940 ........ . Unemployment rates for wage and salary workers by age group, first quarter, 1948-52 .................................. Major occupational group of previous job for persons in the experienced labor reserve in March 1951, by age and sex.. Summary of work experience of persons in the labor reserve in March 1951, by age and sex .................. . IV 15 17 18 19 23 24 25 26 29 30 31 34 35 TABLES — Continued Life Expectancy and the Length of Working Life Number 21. 22. Page Average number of years of life remaining at selected ages, by race and sex, 1900, 1940 and 1949 .................... Total life expectancy and work-life expectancy of male workers at age 6 0 .......................... ............ 36 38 Income and Sources of Income 23. 24. 25. Distribution of families in the United States by total money income and age of head, 1950 ........................... Distribution of persons 14 years and over by total money income, age, and sex, 1950 ................................. Estimated number of persons aged 65 and over receiving income from specified source, June 1951 41 42 44 Retirement and Pension Programs Based on Employment 26. Workers covered by pension plans under collective bargaining agreements by major industry groups, mid-1950 ......... . 49 Job experience of older workers 27. Work injury and absenteeism rates in manufacturing industries by age group, 1945 ........................................ 52 CHARTS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Population changes, by agegroup 1900-1950 .................. Changing proportion of age groups in the population, 1900-1950 ............................................ .. Regional variations in population growth, 1940-50, all ages and 65 and o v e r ............................... . Percent of men and women aged 45 years and over in the labor force, 1890-1950 ....................................... Occupational trends,1910-1950 ...... Total life expectancy and work-life expectancy, male workers, age 6 0 ........................................ V U 5 9 16 20 39 E M P L O Y M E N T OF A N D E C O N O M I C OLDER M E N A N D STATUS W O M E N POPULATION TRENDS Increases la Humber and Proportion o f Older Persona Profound changes in the age structure o f the population o f the United States hare accompanied the growth o f the to ta l population, which almost doubled between 1900 and 1950. One o f the nost significant changes has been the increase in the number and. proportion o f persons 45 years o f age and ever. In 1900, about 3 m illion persons, or 1 in 25, were aged 65 and over. In 1950, those aged 65 and over totaled almost 12-1/2 m illion, or about 1 out o f 12. In 1900, persons between 45 and 6 4 numbered nearly 10-1/2 m illion, or about 14 percent o f the tota l population. By 1950, this age group had increased to 30-1/2 m illion, about on e-fifth o f the to ta l popu lation . Between 1900 and 1950, the proportion o f persons in the to ta l population 45 years o f age and over had increased from 13 to 23 percent. In 1950, fo r the fir s t time, there were more women than men in the tota l population. The excess o f women over men totaled 1.5 m illion. Women 65 years and over, because o f their greater longevity, exceeded men o f the same ages by almost a m illion. In 1950, there were 116 women aged 65 and over in the population for every 100 men o f the same ages. In 1900 there were 96 women for every 100 men in this age group. Underlying these changes in the age structure o f the population have beens the long-term decline in the birth rate, the cessation o f large-scale immigration, and the increases in longevity resulting from Improvement o f liv in g standards and advances in medical science, partic ularly the effectiv e oontrol o f epidemic infectious diseases. Population changes, by age group, from 1900 to 1950, are pre sented in tables 1 and 2 and charts 1 and 2. 1 T a b le 1 . — P o p u la t io n o f t h e U n ite d S t a t e s 1 9 0 0 -1 9 5 0 Age and sex 1900 1910 1920 b y A ge and S e x , 1930 1940 1950 Percent change 1900-1950 (in millions) Total ............. 76.0 92.0 105.7 122.8 131.7 150.7 98 Under 10 ........... 10-19 ............. 20-34-............. 35-44-............. 4 5 - 5 4 ............. 55-64 ............. 65 and over •••••••• 18.1 15.7 19.5 9.2 6.4 4.0 3.1 20.4 18.2 24.2 11.7 8.4 5.1 4.0 23.0 20.1 26.5 14.2 10.5 6.5 4.9 24.1 23.6 29.9 17.2 13.0 8.4 6.6 21.3 24.1 32.9 18.3 15.5 10.6 9.0 29.6 22.1 35.0 21.2 17.3 13.2 12.3 64 41 79 130 170 230 297 Male •••••••«»«,»••• 38.8 47.3 53.9 62.2 66.1 74.6 92 Under 10 ••••••••••• 10-19 ............. 20-34 ......... . 35-44 ............. 45-54 ............. 55-64 ............. 65 and over 9.1 7.9 9.9 4.9 3.4 2.0 1.6 10.3 9.1 12.5 6.2 4.5 2.7 2.0 11.6 10.1 13.2 7.4 5.7 3.4 2.5 12.2 11.9 14.8 8.8 6.8 4.4 3.3 10.8 12.1 16.2 9.2 8.0 5.4 4*4 15.1 11.0 17.1 10.5 8.6 6.6 5.7 66 39 73 1H 153 230 256 Female ••••••••••••• 37.2 44.7 51.8 60.6 65.6 76.1 105 Under 10 ••••••••••• 10-19 ............. 20-34 ............. 35-44 ............. 45-54 ........... . 55-64 65 and over «••••••• 9.0 7.8 9.6 4.3 3.0 2.0 1.5 10.1 9.1 11.7 5.5 3.9 2.4 2.0 11.4 10.0 13.3 6.8 4.8 3.1 2.4 11.9 11.7 15.1 8.4 6.2 4.0 3.3 10.5 12.0 16.7 9.1 7.5 5.2 4.6 14*5 11.1 17.9 10.7 8.7 6.6 6.6 61 42 86 149 190 230 340 Data for 1900 to 1930 adjusted to include persons of unknown age. Source: U, S. Bureau of the Census, Historical Statistics of the United Scates, 1789-194-5 and 1950 Census of Population, Preliminary Reports, Series PC-7, No, 1, 2 T a b le 2 , — P e r c e n t D i s t r i b u t i o n o f t h e P o p u la t io n o f t h e U n ite d S t a t e s b y A ge and S e x , 1 9 0 0 -1 9 5 0 Age and sex T o t a l .................. Under 10 1 0 - 1 9 ...... ............ 2 0 - 3 4 .................. 3 5 - 4 4 ...... ............ 45-54 .................. 55-64 ...... ............ 65 and over ••••••••••••. 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 23.8 22.2 19.8 21.8 19.6 19.2 24.3 14.0 16.2 18.3 25.0 13.9 19.6 14. 7 23.2 14.1 11.5 8.7 20.7 25.6 12.1 8.4 5.3 4.1 26.4 12.7 9.1 5.5 4.3 Male .................... 100.0 Undei* 1 0 ..... .......... 10-19 .................. 20-34 ................... 35-44 .................. 45-54 .................. 55-64 .................. 65 and over •••••••••«••• 23.4 20.4 25.5 Female Under 10 •••••••••••••••« 10-19 .................. 20-34 .... .............. 35-44 .......... ........ 45-54 .................. 55-64 .................. 65 and over Source: 2 0 9 3 2 9 O — 4.6 6.9 5.4 11.8 8.0 6.8 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 21.8 21.5 18.8 24.5 13.7 19.6 19.1 16.3 18.3 24.5 13.9 5 2 -------- 2 6.2 10.6 8.2 6.3 4.6 14.2 10.9 7.1 5.3 12.1 8.2 6.7 20.3 14. 7 22.9 14.1 11.5 8.9 7.6 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 1O0.O 24.2 21.0 25.8 22.6 22.0 16.0 19.0 20.3 12.3 8.7 5.4 4.5 6.0 6.6 4.6 5.4 18.3 25.5 13.9 11.4 7.9 7.0 14.6 11.5 19.3 25.7 13.1 9.3 19.6 19.3 24.9 13.9 10.3 10.6 5.2 4.1 19.3 26.4 13.1 9.5 5.7 4.2 100.0 12.6 8.8 8.1 5.4 4.0 26.2 U. S. Bureau of the Census* 19.0 25.1 13.4 9.9 3 23.8 23.5 14.1 11.4 8.7 8.7 Chart 1. P O P U L A T I O N C H A N G E S , B Y A G E G R O U P 1 9 0 0 - 1 9 5 0 PERCENT CHANGE 1900-1950 11 A L L A G E S M illion s o f P e r s o n s 13 1 . 7 ' '< <.„■»V** , j ■ < \ *<v f > ■ “ s s s is i TOTAL POPULATION 6 5 Y E A R S A N D O V E R 5 5 - 6 4 Y E A R S 4 5 - 5 4 Y E A R S 3 5 -4 4 YEARS 2 0 -3 4 YEARS 10-19 YEARS 179% m .. * 41% 64% 0 -9 YEARS 1900 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS 1930 1940 Figures for 1900 and 1930 adjusted to include persons of unknown age. 4 1950 Source- U.S. B U R E A U OF T H E C E N S U S Chart 2. C H A N G I N G IN T H E P R O P O R T I O N P O P U L A T I O N , O F A G E G R O U P S 1 9 0 0 - 1 9 5 0 NET CHANGE POPULATION 1900-1950 - 0 + 6 5 YEARS AND OVER 5 5 - 6 4 YEARS 4 5 - 5 4 YEARS 3 5 - 4 4 - YEARS 2 0 - 3 4 YEARS 10-19 YEARS 0 -9 YEARS UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS Source: 5 U.S. B U R E A U OF T H E C E NSUS The Trend Toward Urbanisation Increasing urbanization of the population has accompanied its growth. In 1900, the people of the United States were predominantly rural. By 1920, about half the population was living in urban centers. By 1940, the urban pop ulation had reached almost 60 percent of the total, compared with 40 percent in 1900. In 1950, with a changed urban-rural definition, almost two-thirds of the total population lived in urban areas. The proportion of the population 65 years and over who live in urban areas has followed the general population trend. Since 1930, the number of per sons 65 years and over who live in urban centers has exceeded those of rural areas. In June 1950, about 65 percent of all persons 65 and over were living in urban areas. Table 3 presents the data on the urban-rural distribution of the pop ulation and explains the changed definition of "urban" classification used in the 1950 Census. R«crtnnal Variations in Population Growth. 1940-50 Table A and chart 3 show the significant variations, among geographic regions, in the relative growth of different age groups which has accompanied the general increase of the population between 194-0 and 1950. These variations result from past trends in interstate migration and in birth and mortality rates. While the population of the United States increased about 15 percent in the decade 1940-50, the population 65 years and over increased 37 percent. The largest relative increases in the oldest group occurred in the South Atlan tic, West South Central, the Mountain, and Pacific States. The Mountain and Pacific States, with the largest increases in total population, also had largest increases in the population aged 65 and over. In the Pacific States, where the total population increased about 50 percent, the population aged 65 and over increased 56 percent. The comparatively larger increases, in some regions, of the dependent population under 15 years of age, together with the potentially dependent popu lation aged 65 and over, have had significant social and economic implications. 6 Table 3.— Urban-Rural Distribution of the Total Population and of the Population 65 Tears and Over, 1900-1950 Urban Total Tear and age Number (thousands) All agest 1900 ........ 1910 ......... 1920 ........ 1930 ........ 1940 ........ 1950 1/ ..... 65 and overs 1900 ........ 1910 ........ 1920 ........ 1930 ........ 1940 ........ 1950 1/ ..... 75,995 91,972 105,711 122,775 131,669 150,697 3,080 3,950 4,933 6,634 9,019 12,322 Sural Percent of total 30,160 96,028 (2/) 1,693 2,339 3,524 5,073 7,973 Percent of total (thousands) (thousands) U , 999 54,158 68,955 74,424 Number 39.7 45.7 51.2 56.2 56.5 63.7 45,835 49,973 51,553 53,820 57,246 54,669 (2/) 42.9 47.4 53.1 (2/) 2,257 2,594 56.2 3,946 4,349 64.7 3,110 60.3 54.3 4 8 .8 43.8 43.5 36.3 (2/) 57.1 52.6 46.9 43.8 35.3 1/ The urban and rural population data for 1950 are not comparable with data for earlier periods because of changes in the definition of urban res idence which added densely settled urban fringe areas and unincorporated places of 2,500 inhabitants or sort. As a result of the changed definition, the figure for the urban population in 1950 is about 8 million larger than it would have been under the 1940 definition. 2/ Not available* Sources V. S. Bureau of the Census* 1900-1940s All ages, Historical Statistics of the 65 years and oyer, Sixteenth Census of Population, Volume II, Characteristics 1950t 1950 Census of Population, Preliminary PC-7, No. 1. 7 U. S., 1789-1945} the U. S*, 1940 of the Population. Reports, Series T a b le 4 .,— P e r c e n t C h a n g e s i n P o p u la t io n G ro w th b y R e g io n a n d A g e G r o u p , 1 9 4 -0 -5 0 , 45 to 64 years 65 years and over 5.4 16.7 36.6 19.9 2.7 10.9 27.0 9.5 17.4- -.1 15.6 35.2 East North Central,., 14-.2 26.8 5.1 14.6 31.8 West North Central,,, -4.0 12.1 6.3 23.6 South Atlantic,•••••• 18.9 21.6 12.0 26.2 44.3 East South Central,•• 6.5 8.6 -.8 14.3 34.1 West South Central,,, 11.3 14-.6 2.1 21.6 43.8 Mountain, ...... ...»• 22.3 31.5 15.6 18.8 43.0 Pacific,........... . 48.8 8-4.6 38.9 35.7 56.4 All ages Under 15 years United States,,•••••. 14.5 24-.1 New England,,,.,,,,,, 10.4- Middle Atlantic,••••• Region So u rce * 15 to 44years U . S . B u r e a u o f t h e C e n s u s , 1 9 5 0 C e n s u s o f P o p u la t io n , P r e lim in a r y R e p o r t s , S e r ie s P C - 1 2 , P C - 7 , N o , 1 , a n d u n p u b lis h e d d a t a . 8 Chart 3. REGIONAL VARIATIONS IN POPULATION GROWTH, 1940-50 All Ages and 65 and Over PERCENT CHANGE 1940-50 UNITED STATES 36.6 Source U.S. BUREAU OF 9 THE CENSUS Interstate Differences In Population 65 Years and Over In April 1950, 8.2 percent of the total population was 65 years of age and over, as compared with 6.8 percent in 1940. In six States, about 10 percent of the total population was aged 65 and over. In general, as table 5 indicates, the highest proportion of persons aged 65 and over are found in New England, the Great Plains States, and the West Coast. In the Southern States, the proportion of persons 65 and over tends to be relatively low. These differences result from geographic variations in birth rates and in mortality conditions, as well as from the effects of interstate migration. Changes in Age Distribution in Selected Metropolitan Areas. 1940-50 Since 1940, the growth of certain metropolitan areas has been ac companied by more extreme changes in age distribution than has been true of the country as a whole. Table 6 shows the wide variation among selected metropolitan areas in the degree to which the age structure of the population has changed in the last decade. Although the total population aged 65 and over has increased 37 percent since 1940, this older age group increased 50 percent or more in 24 out of 57 metropolitan areas. In 15 areas, the increase was 60 percent or more. The economic implications of significant changes in the age distri bution of the population in certain metropolitan areas may be drawn from the data presented in table 6. In some communities there have been disproportion ate increases among the older age groups and children under 10, resulting in a comparative decline in the proportion of persons aged 25 to 64 , who character istically constitute almost 80 percent of the productive work force. Examples of this sure found in the metropolitan areas of New York and northeastern New Jersey, Rochester, St. Louis, and Toledo. 10 Table 5 •—P opulation 65 Tears and Over, by S ta t e , A pril 1950 and P ercent o f T otal P opulation, 1940 and 1950 P opulation 65 years and over Geographic d iv is io n and S tate Total . population Number (In thousands) C ontinental U. S........................ New England* Maine ............................................. New Hampshire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vermont .......................... .. M a ssa c h u se tts.......................... .. Rhode Islan d .............................. C o n n e c tic u t.............................. .. Middle A tla n tic ! New York ....................................... New J e r s e y ................................... P e n n sy lv a n ia .............................. E ast North C entrali O h io ............................................... I n d ia n a ..................................... I l l i n o i s ....................................... M ich igan ................................ .. Wisconsin ................. ................... West North Central! M in n eso ta ........................ I o w a ............. ................................. M is s o u r i............................ .. North Dakota .............................. South Dakota .............................. N eb rask a...................................... Kansas ........................................... South A tla n tic ! D ela w are...................... Maryland ....................................... D is t r ic t o f Columbia . . . . . . . V i r g i n i a ............... .. West V irgin ia ............................ North Carolina .......................... South Carolina .......................... G e o r g ia ..................... .. F lorid a ....................................... East South Central! Kentucky ....................................... Tennessee ..................................... Alabama ....................................... M is siss ip p i ................................ West South Central! Arkansas • • • • .......................... .. L o u is ia n a ........... Oklahoma............................ .. T e x a s ........... ................................. Mountain! Montana ................................ .. I d a h o ............. ............................... Wyoming........................................ Golorado ....................................... New Mexico .................................. A r iz o n a ............. .............. .. U t a h ............................................... Nevada ........................................... P a c ific ! W ashington............................ .. Oregon ........................................... C a l i f o r n ia ..................... ............ P ercent o f t o t a l population 1950 1940 150,697 12,322 8 .2 9H 533 378 4 ,691 792 2 ,0 0 7 94 58 40 469 70 177 1 0 .2 1 0.9 10.5 1 0 .0 8 .9 8 .8 9 .5 9 .9 9 .6 8 .5 7 .6 7.5 14,830 1,259 394 887 8 .5 8 .1 8 .4 6 .8 6 .7 6 .8 709 361 754 8 .9 9 .2 8 .7 7 .3 9 .0 4,335 10,498 7,947 3,934 8,712 6,372 3,435 462 310 6 .8 ■■ ..... — .......... —f 7 .2 6 .3 7 .7 2,982 2,621 3,955 620 653 1,326 1,905 269 273 407 48 55 130 194 318 2,343 802 3,319 2,006 4,062 2,117 3,445 2,771 26 164 57 215 139 225 115 220 237 7. 1 6.5 6 .9 5 .5 5 .4 6 .4 8 .6 5 .1 6 .9 2,945 3,292 3,062 2,179 235 235 199 153 8 .0 7 .1 6 .5 7 .0 6 .7 5 .9 4 .8 5 .3 1,910 2,684 2,233 7,711 149 177 194 514 7 .8 6 .6 8 .7 6 .7 5 .5 5 .0 6 .2 5 .4 591 589 291 1,325 681 750 689 160 51 44 18 116 6 .5 6 .0 5 .0 44 42 11 8 .6 7 .4 6 .3 8 .7 4 .9 5 .9 6 .2 6 .9 4*4 4 .8 5 .5 6 .2 2,379 1,521 10,586 211 133 895 8 .9 8 .7 8 .5 8 .3 8 .5 8 .0 33 9 .0 1 0 .4 10.3 7 .8 8 .5 9 .8 1 0.2 8 .3 7 .0 Source * U. S. Bureau o f the Census, 1950 Census o f Population, Prelim inary Reports, S e r ie s PC-12, PC-7, No. l,a n d unpublished data. 7 .8 8.4 tt 7 .6 9 .0 8 .6 6 .1 6 .9 8 .0 8 .7 7 .7 6 .8 6. 2 5 .8 5 .3 4 .4 4 .3 7 .7 Table 6*--/Age Distribution of the Population for Selected Standard Metropolitan Areas, 19$0, and Percent Change Since 1940 1 / Percent change, 1940-50 P srcent di.3tributio:n by age Standard metropolitan area All ages Under 10 years 10 to 24 years 25 to 64 years 65 years and over Under 10 years 10 to 24 years 25 to 64 years 65 years and over 37 United States, total .... 100 20 22 50 8 39 -6 15 Akron, Ohio ........... Albany-Schenectady-Troy, N. Y................. Allentown-BethlehemEaston, Pa........... Atlanta, Ga............ 100 53 7 69 -10 20 63 Birmingham, Ala........ Boston, Mass........... Buffalo, N. Y .......... Charleston, W. Va....... Chicago, 111........... Cincinnati, Ohio ....... Cleveland, Ohio ........ Columbus, Ohio ........ Dallas, Texas .......... Dayton, Ohio .......... Denver, Colo........... Detroit, Mich.......... Duluth , iMinn*Superior, .?is. ••..... Harrisburg, Pa......... Hartford, Conn...... .. Houston, T e x a s ........ Johnstown, Pa. ....... . Miami, Fla. ........... . Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. • •........... . New Orleans, La.... .... New York-Northeastern New Jersey........... New York portion .... New Jersey portion.... Norfolk-Portsmouth, Va. •• Omaha, Nebr............. Portland, Oreg.......... Providence, R. I........ Richmond, Va............ San Antonio, Texas ...... San Francisco-Oakland, Calif................. Scranton, Pa....... . Seattle, Wash........ . Springfield-Holyoke, Mass. Syracuse, N. Y. ......... Tampa-St. Pe tersburg, Fla. Toledo, Ohio ........... Utica-Rome, N. Y. ........ Washington, D. C ........ Wheeling, W. Va. Steubenville, Ohio ..... Wilkes-Barre— Hazleton, Pa. •••••••••• Worcester, Mass......... Youngstown, Ohio ........ 1 / 20 21 100 18 20 54 9 55 -7 7 21 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 17 20 18 20 17 18 23 17 17 18 18 18 20 20 20 20 22 22 23 20 21 24 20 20 18 21 22 22 21 22 54 51 53 50 52 54 47 57 53 57 52 53 51 52 53 9 6 7 6 10 8 5 8 9 8 9 6 7 8 6 34 6$ 60 50 36 45 31 47 45 68 69 108 97 97 64 -19 6 •. • -4 -11 -11 -8 -11 -?2 -18 8 29 20 15 2 16 27 23 21 8 15 22 14 13 15 26 49 32 34 25 36 68 44 69 30 40 49 48 24 61 54 94 24 35 78 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 19 19 17 21 18 20 17 18 21 20 1$ 17 19 22 18 22 20 24 19 17 21 22 17 20 51 51 56 53 53 47 55 55 50 51 59 56 10 8 9 5 8 8 .9 9 8 6 9 7 36 60 65 101 59 10 59 120 86 90 125 37 -28 -5 -17 28 -3 -25 -3 16 5 14 37 -9 -2 14 25 48 19 4 16 46 22 28 88 15 48 18 56 85 31 39 38 63 34 54 146 35 100 100 100 19 19 19 20 23 22 53 52 53 9 7 7 68 54 70 -4 8 ... 14 23 21 35 45 52 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 16 16 17 19 19 17 17 18 17 18 17 16 23 21 20 20 19 25 22 21 21 18 21 20 18 20 24 20 56 56. 57 50 - 51 55 54 54 52 55 55 53 47 51 7 7 8 5 8 8 8 10 9 7 10 10 6 8 46 47 46 131 44 45 24 114 38 68 55 45 112 203 -12 -10 -17 52 -6 -10 -23 15 -15 -5 -19 -1 20 61 IO 7 17 67 10 17 13 34 11 26 10 12 41 86 40 38 47 63 29 26 51 51 28 56 39 69 63 56 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 19 17 19 16 17 15 18' 18 19 16 22 17 19 22 18 21 19 20 58 53 54 55 52 52 53 52 55 8 10 10 10 9 13 9 11 6 165 -5 136 45 50 78 50 49 104 17 -38 14 -21 10 -5 -20 30 47 -10 36 16 13 50 11 8 47 50 41 65 42 28 129 100 18 22 50 9 13 -26 100 100 100 17 18 19 23 19 21 53 52 53 8 10 8 -3 49 45 -36 -19 -22 I n c l u d e s s t a n d a r d m e t r o p o l i t a n a r e a s o f 2 5 0 , 0 0 0 i n h a b i t a n t s o r m o r e i n 1940. 1950, n o t s h o w n w h e r e l e s s t h a n 1. Source: U. S. B u r e a u o f t h e Cen s u s . 12 • •• 48 28 64 38 -3 9 18 P e r c e n t change, 1940 to 38 25 41 Population Estimates, 1950-75 Population growth during the next generation is expected to continue to be accompanied by substantial increases in the number and proportion of older persons. (See table 7.) The number of persons 45 and over is expected to increase to about 63 million by 1975, when they may constitute nearly half of all persons over 20 years of age. Persons 65 and over may number about 21 million, an increase of 69 percent over about 12 million in 1950. Because of their increasing longevity, as compared with men, women aged 65 and over may exceed men of the same ages by about 3-1/2 million, more than tripling the com parable excess of 1 million in 1950. Women 45 years and over may exceed men of the same ages by almost 6 million. Population growth among persons 14 and over will bring the smallest relative increases in the group aged 25-44 years; It is this age group which has the highest rate of participation in the productive work force. Table 7.*— Population 14 Years of Age and Over by Age and Sex, 1950 and Projected 1975 Age and sex 1950 actual 1975 projected Percent change (in thousands) Total, 14 and over •••••••• 111,915 149,551 33.6 1 4 - 1 9 ....... ............. 20-24 .................... 2 5 ^ 4 4 .................... 45-64 .................... 65 and over 12,876 11,327 44,945 30,445 12,321 16,486 15,553 54,093 42,593 20,826 28.0 37.3 20.4 39.9 69.0 Male, 14 and over ••••••••• 54,923 6,398 5,457 22,164 15,193 5,711 72,313 31.7 8,357 7,813 27,272 20,237 8,634 30.6 43.2 23.0 33.2 51.2 77,238 35.5 8,129 7,740 26,821 22,356 12,192 25.5 31.9 17.7 46.6 14-19 .................... 20-24 ....... ............. 25-44 .................... 65 and over Female, 14 and over ••••••• 14-19 .................... 20-24 .................... 25-44 .................. . 45-64 ................... . 65 and over ........... . 56,991 6,478 5,870 22,781 15,251 6,611 84.4 Source: 1950— 4J.S. Bureau of the Census, 1950 Census of Population, Pre liminary Reports, Series PC-7, No. 2. 1975— Estimated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, based on assumptions of medium rates of fertility, mortality and immigration implicit in Census Bureau's release P-25, No. 43, "Illustrative Projections of the Population of the United States, 1950 to I960." 13 TRENDS IN THE LABOR FORCE Aging of the Labor Force Accompanying the aging of the population has been a similar change in the age distribution of the labor force, as shown in table 8. In 1890, about one-fourth of the working population was aged 45 and over. Today this age group constitutes more than a third of the labor force. This proportion is likely to increase significantly in future years. Since 1890, the most significant changes in the age composition of the labor force are found in the decline from 31 percent to 19 percent of the proportion of persons 14 to 24 years of age, and the increase from 20 percent to almost 30 percent of the proportion of those aged 45 to 64 . The latter age group has registered especially large gains in the female labor force, much of the change occurring in the last decade. Between 1940 and 1950, the proportion of women workers 45 to 64 years of age rose from 20 to 27 percent. Thi3 in crease in one decade was as large as had occurred in the period 1890 to 1940. There has been little significant change in the extent to which per sons 65 and over are represented in the labor force, although the proportion of this age group in the population doubled between 1900 and 1950. Changes in Labor Force Participation of Older Persons Long-Term Trends — The rise in the proportion of the labor force made up of persons 45 years of age and over has been somewhat slower, however, than in the population as a whole. This has resulted from the declining trend in labor force participation among older men, 55 years and over, and partic ularly among men past 65. Among women over 45, the trend has been.in the oppo site direction; since 1890 the percentage of all women of these ages who are in the labor force has doubled from 11 to 22. Table 9 and chart 4 present the changes from 1890 to 1950. Men — In 1890 about two-thirds of all men aged 65 and over were in the labor force. By 1940 this rate had dropped to slightly over two-fifths. A number of industrial and occupational trends (discussed below) contributed to the long-term decline in employment opportunities for older men. Super imposed upon these trends were the effects of the depression of the 1930’s, which largely accounted for the particularly sharp drop in labor force partici pation among men 65 years of age and over between 1930 and 1940. Women — Among women aged 45 to 64 , the trend in work activity has been upward. Between 1890 and 1950, the participation of these older women in the labor force increased sharply. The most significant- increase is found among women aged 45 to 54, of whom 33 percent were in the labor force in 1950. These trends reflect the social and economic forces which have led to increased employment of women outside the home. However, the participation of women 65 years and over in the labor force remains quite low; fewer than 10 percent of the women in this age group were working or seeking work in April 1950. 14 Table 8 .—Age D istribution o f the Labor Force by Sex, 1 8 9 0 -1 9 5 0 Age and s e x 1890 1900 1920 1930 1940 1950 N um ber ( i n th o u sa n d s) T o t a l, 14 and o ve r •»*•••• 1 4 - 2 4 .................................... 2 5 - 4 4 .................................... 4 5 - 6 4 .................................... 65 and o ver •••••••••»•» 2 1 ,8 3 3 6 ,7 5 5 9 ,7 2 9 4 ,4 1 3 936 2 7 ,6 4 0 8 ,5 4 5 1 2 ,3 5 1 5 ,6 3 0 1 ,1 1 4 4 0 ,2 8 2 1 0 ,4 5 2 1 8 ,6 6 7 9 ,6 0 0 1 ,5 6 3 4 7 ,4 0 4 1 1 ,4 4 -9 2 1 ,9 0 2 1 2 ,0 1 5 2 ,0 3 8 5 3 ,2 9 9 11*737 2 4 ,9 2 4 1 4 ,5 0 4 2 ,1 3 4 5 9 ,8 5 7 1 1 ,1 0 7 2 8 ,1 5 4 17,7 U 2 ,8 8 2 M a le , 1 4 1 4 -2 4 2 5 -4 4 4 5 -6 4 65 and and o ve r •••••••• .................................... .................................... ............. ...................... o ver •••••••••••» 1 8 ,1 2 9 4 ,8 3 3 8 ,5 1 3 3 ,9 3 7 2 2 ,6 4 1 6 ,1 3 6 1 0 ,5 6 0 4 ,9 5 8 987 3 2 ,0 5 3 7 ,0 2 7 1 5 ,3 5 3 8 ,2 9 0 1 ,3 8 3 3 7 ,0 0 8 7 ,5 4 2 1 7 ,4 9 8 1 0 ,1 7 3 1 ,7 9 5 4 0 ,2 8 4 7 ,6 5 4 1 8 ,8 1 7 1 1 ,9 5 4 1 ,8 5 9 4 3 ,5 3 3 7 ,1 5 7 2 0 ,6 4 4 1 3 ,3 5 3 2 ,3 7 9 F e m a le , 1 4 a n d o v e r • • • • • • 1 4 - 2 4 .................................... 2 5 - 4 4 - .................................... 4 5 - 6 4 .................................... 6 5 a n d e w er • •••«»•••<>»» 3 ,7 0 4 1 ,9 2 2 1 ,2 1 6 476 90 4 ,9 9 9 2 ,4 0 9 1 ,7 9 1 672 127 8 ,2 2 9 3 ,4 2 5 3 ,3 1 4 1 ,3 1 0 180 1 0 ,3 9 6 3 ,9 0 7 4 ,4 0 4 1 ,8 4 2 243 1 3 ,0 1 5 4 ,0 8 3 6 ,1 0 7 2 ,5 5 0 275 1 6 ,3 2 3 3 ,9 5 0 7 ,5 1 0 4 ,3 6 1 503 846 P e rc e n t d is t r ib u t io n 100,0 30.9 44.6 20.2 4.3 1 0 0 .0 3 0 .9 4 4 .7 2 0 .4 4 .0 1 0 0 .0 2 5 .9 4 6 .3 2 3 .8 3 .9 1 0 0 .0 2 4 .2 4 6 .2 2 5 .3 4 .3 1 0 0 .0 2 2 .0 4 6 .8 2 7 .2 4 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 8 .6 4 7 .0 2 9 .6 4 .8 and o ve r ••••»••• .................................... .................................... . ................................... over 100,0 26.7 47.0 21.7 4.7 1 0 0 .0 2 7 .1 4 6 .6 2 1 .9 4 .4 1 0 0 .0 2 1 .9 4 7 .9 2 5 .9 4 .3 1 0 0 .0 4 7 .3 2 7 .5 4 .9 1 0 0 .0 1 9 .0 4 6 .7 2 9 .7 4 .6 1 0 0 .0 1 6 .4 4 7 .4 3 0 .7 5 .5 F e m a le , 1 4 a n d o v e r • • • » • • 14-24 .................................... 25^44. ................................... 45-64 . ................................... 65 and o ve r ••»•«••••••• 100.0 1 0 0 .0 4 8 .2 3 5 .8 1 3 .4 2 .5 1 0 0 .0 4 1 .6 4 0 .3 1 5 .9 2 .2 1 0 0 .0 3 7 .6 4 2 .4 1 7 .7 2 .3 1 0 0 .0 3 1 .4 4 6 .9 1 9 .6 2 .1 1 0 0 .0 2 4 .2 4 6 .0 2 6 .7 3 .1 T o t a l, 1 4 and o ve r •*••••• 1 4 - 2 4 .................................... 45*^4 •••••••••••••••••# 65 and o ve r M a le , 1 4 1 4 -2 4 2 5 -4 4 4 5 -6 4 65 and 5 1 .9 3 2 .8 1 2 .9 2 .4 20.4 F ig u r e s d o n o t n e c e s s a r ily a d d t o g ro u p t o t a ls b e c a u se o f r o u n d in g . F ig u r e s f o r p e r i o d s p r i o r t o 1 9 4 -0 a d j u s t e d t o i n c l u d e p e r s o n s o f u n k n o w n a g e . D a t a r e f e r t o A p r il,e x c e p t 1 8 9 0 (J u n e ), 1 9 0 0 (J u n e ), and 1 9 2 0 (J a n u a r y ), S o u rce : 1 8 9 0 -1 9 4 .0 : 1950: J o h n D . D u r a n d , L a b o r F o r c e i n t h e U n it e d S t a t e s , 1 8 9 0 - 1 9 6 0 , N ew Y o r k , S o c i a l S c ie n c e R e s e a r c h C o u n c i l , 1 9 4 8 . U , S . B u re a u o f th e C e n s u s , 1 9 5 0 C e n s u s o f P o p u la t io n , P r e lim in a r y R e p o r t s , S e r ie s P C - 7 , N o , 2 , D a ta a d ju s t e d t o in c l u d e A rm e d F o r c e s o v e r s e a s . 15 Chart 4. PERCENT OF MEN IN Percent 45-54 AND THE W OM EN LABOR AGED FORCE, 55-64 45 YEARS AND OVER 1 8 9 0 -1 9 5 0 65 Years and Over Percent 50 40 30 20 10 0* SOURCE: U.S. BUREAU OF THE CENSUS UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS *1910 DATA NOT COMPARABLE TO OTHER YEARS 16 Table 9 .—Percent o f Population 45 Tears and Over in the Labor Force, by Age and Sex, 1890 - 1950 Age and sex 1890 1900 1920 1930 1940 1950 Men 45 and over ............... . 45-54 ............................ 55-64 ............................ 65 and o v e r ............... . 86.7 93.9 89.0 68.2 92.8 86.1 63.2 8 4 .3 83.2 .93.5 86.3 55.6 82.5 93.8 86.5 54.0 77.7 92.7 42.2 75.2 91.7 82.9 41.6 Women 45 and over 45-54 ............................ 55-64 ............................ 65 and over ................. 11.1 12.5 11.5 7.6 12.3 14.2 12.6 8.3 14.3 17.9 14.3 7.3 15.4 19.7 15.3 7.3 16.3 22.4 16.6 6.0 22.2 33.0 22.8 7.6 8 4 .6 Figures for periods prior to 1940 adjusted to include persons o f unknown age* Data refer to April, except 1890-1900 (June) and 1920 (January). Source: 1890-1940: 1950: John D. Durand, The Labor Force in the United States, 1890-1960, New York, Social Science Research Council, 1948. D. S. Bureau o f the Census, 1950 Census o f Population, Preliminary Reports, Series PC-7, Ho* 2* Data adjusted to include Armed Forces overseas* Recent Trends — The expansion in employment opportunities during World War II brought a significant increase in labor force activ ity nmnng per sons over 45, as well as for other population groups. In April 1945, there were about 2— 1/2 m illion "extra” workers in the labor force, 45 years and over, above the number that would have been expected had prewar trends continued. About 1— l/2 m illion of these "extra” older workers were women and about 1 mil lion were men. However, even under the pressure o f a wartime labor market, there was evidence o f reluctance by employers to hire older workers until supplies o f younger men were exhausted. Moreover, in the fir s t 2 years o f the war, employ ment discrimination against older women was especially persistent. 17 Table 10 shows the labor force status o f older men and women in the civ ilia n noninstitutional population in April 1952, with the comparative rates at the peak of World War II employment in April 194-5* The rates of labor force participation among men 55 years of age and over in April 1952 were well below wartime lev els. The decline in the rate fo r men 65 years o f age and over, with only 42 percent of men of these ages in the labor force as compared with 51 percent in April 194-5, has been particu la rly sharp. In fa ct, the rate fo r men 65 and over in April 1952 is below the rate of 4-6 percent fo r this age group fo r April 1950, prior to the expansion in employment which followed the outbreak of h o stilitie s in Korea. The current data re fle ct the continuation of a long-time trend that was temporarily re versed during the extreme manpower shortages of World War II* By April 1950 women between the ages of 4-5 and 64 had again attained their high wartime rate of labor force participation which had declined after 1945* In April 1952 almost 40 percent of women aged 45 to 54, and about 27 percent o f women aged 55 to 64, were in the labor fo rce. Their increased par ticipation continues a long-term trend which was accelerated by manpower de mands of World War I I . Among women past 65 years of age the proportion in the labor force has remained at about the level in April 1952 — 8.2 percent — throughout the post-World War II period* Table 10,—Labor Force Status o f Older Age Groups in the Civilian Noninstitutional Population, April 1952 and April 194-5 C ivilian noninstitutional population, April 1952 Percent o f population in labor force 1 / Age and sex Total In labor force Not in labor force April 1952 April 1945 (wartime) (in thousands) Total 45 and o v e r .... 43,536 22,564 20,972 51.8 55.1 Men 45 and over.••••• 21,04445-54........................ 8,632 5 5 * ^ 4 * ............• 6,784 5,628 65 and over........... 16,562 8,288 5.920 2,354 4,482 344 864 3,274 78.7 96.0 87.3 41.8 84.0 97.3 92.0 51.2 Women 45 and over*..* 22,492 45-54........................ 9,028 55-64*....................... 7,064 65 and over............ 6,400 6,002 3,558 1.920 524 16,490 5,470 5,144 5,876 26.7 39.4 27.2 8.2 26.6 37.0 27.4 9.6 1 / Not comparable with data in table 9, which are based on total population and total labor force. Beginning with January 1951, data on tota l labor force (including Armed Forces) are not available for publication* Source: U. S. Bureau of the Census. 18 Industrial and Occupational Trends E ffect o f Long-Term Occupational Trends — Changes in the occupa tional and industrial distribution o f employment in the United States, over a period o f decades, have had the net effect o f restrictin g employment opportu n ities o f older workers. The sh ift from a rural to a highly industrial economy is reflected in the long-term decline of farm employment and in the expansion o f such occupations as semiskilled operatives and cle rica l and sales workers* These two expanding occupational field s today have a low proportion o f employed workers 45 years o f age and over, in comparison with other occupational groups. (See tables 12 and 13.) Table 11 and chart 5 show the changes in the occupational composi tion o f the experienced labor force from 1910 to 1950. Table 11.—Percent Distribution o f the Labor Force by Occupational Group, 1910-50 Group 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 Total ..................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Professional persons .......................... Proprietors, managers, and o ffic ia ls Farmers (owners and tenants) ........ Proprietors, managers, and o ffic ia ls (except farm) ............. Clerks and kindred workers ............... Skilled workers and forem en......... Semiskilled workers ............................ Unskilled workers ............................... Farm la b o re rs.................................. Laborers, except farm ..................... Service w orkers............................... 4.4 23.0 16.5 5.0 22.3 15.5 6.1 19.9 12.4 6.5 17.8 10.1 7.5 16.3 7.5 6.5 10.2 11.7 14.7 36.0 14.5 14.7 6.8 6.8 13.8 13.5 16.1 29.4 9.4 14.6 5.4 7.5 16.3 12.9 16.4 28.4 8.6 12.9 6.9 7.6 17.2 11.7 21.0 25.9 7.1 10.7 8.0 8.8 20.2 13.8 22.4 19.8 4.6 7.8 7.4 Figures do not necessarily add to group totals because o f rounding. Source: 1910-40: U. S. Bureau o f the Census, Comparative Occupation S tatistics for the United States, 1870-1940. 1950: Estimated by the Bureau o f Labor S tatistics from Census data. 209329 0 —52----- 4 19 Chart 5. OCCUPATIONAL TRENDS, 1910 -1950 PERCENT OF TOTAL WORKERS ENGAGED IN EACH FIELD F A R M A N D U N S K IL L E D L A B O R O C C U P AT IO N S D E C L IN E D ... S K IL L E D W O R K E R S H E L D THEIR O W N ... ALL O TH E R F IE L D S IN C R E A S E D ... I9I0 I920 I930 I940 I950 I9I0 SERVICE WORKERS T930 I940 I950 Source: U. S. BUREAU OF THE CENSUS. 1950 ESTIMATED BY BUREAU OF UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS 1920 PROFESSIONAL PERSONS LABOR STATISTICS. ! 2 0; E m p lo y m e n t h r O c c u p a t i o n , I n d u s t r y , a n d C l a s s o f W o rk e r T h e r e l a t i v e p r o p o r t io n s o f o ld e r w o r k e r s i n v a r io u s in d u s t r ie s a n d o c c u p a t i o n s o f f e r a g u i d e a s t o t h e t y p e s o f w o r k i n w h i c h t h e y f i n d e m p lo y m e n t o p p o r t u n it ie s . D if f e r e n c e s in t h e a g e d is t r ib u t io n o f w o r k e r s b y in d u s t r y a n d o c c u p a t i o n m a y b e d u e t o a w id e r a n g e o f f a c t o r s i n c l u d i n g ! p a s t e m p lo y m e n t t r e n d s , t h e r e l a t i v e a g e o f a n i n d u s t r y , t h e p r o p o r t i o n o f w o m e n e m p lo y e d , a n d t h e a m o u n t o f t r a i n i n g o r e x p e r i e n c e r e q u i r e d i n a g i v e n f i e l d o f w o rk . Occupation. Tables 12 and 13 show the occupational d istrib u tion o f men and women in various age groups who were employed in A p ril 1951. The data show that the occupational d istrib u tion o f workers va ries considerably with age fo r both men and women. Among men, there is a marked increase in the re la tiv e proportion o f those employed at ages 45 and over in the occupational groups o f serv ice workers and farm and nonfarm managers and p rop rietors. Older women, in comparison with younger age groups, are concentrated to a large extent in serv ice occupations. Men — The la rg est proportion o f employed men aged 45-64 years are found among craftsm en, nonfarm managers and p rop rietors, and op era tives. These are the occupational groups in which the la rg est r e la tiv e proportions o f em ployed men o f a l l ages are found. At age 65 and over, the la rg est proportion o f men are employed as farmers and farm managers, nonfarm p rop rietors and managers, and craftsm en. Operatives and kindred workers con stitu te the occupational group showing the sharpest decrease in the proportion o f old er men employed. Al though about one-fourth o f a l l employed men aged 14-44 work as op eratives, only 10 percent o f those 65 and over work in th is occupational f i e l d , The proportion o f men employed as service workers in creases markedly with age. Less than 5 percent o f men aged 25-44 are employed as serv ice workers, and more than 11 percent o f those 65 and over are found in th is occupational f i e ld . Women — The la rg est proportion o f employed old er women are private household and serv ice workers. Among employed women 25-44 years o f age, le s s than a f i f t h work in these occupations. The proportion increases to almost 30 percent o f a l l employed women 45 to 64, and to more than 40 percent o f the women 65 years and over who are working. 21 More than a quarter o f a l l employed women work in c le r ic a l and re la ted jo b s . But the proportion o f women in each age group who are c le r ic a l workers in d ica tes that these jobs are r e la tiv e ly unavailable to old er women. Almost h a lf the employed women under 24 are c le r ic a l workers; le s s than a f i f t h o f the employed women 45 to 6 4 years o f age are engaged in c le r ic a l or rela ted work. Almost a fourth o f employed women between the ages o f 25 and 44work as sem iskilled fa ctory workers and other op era tives. However, in the age group 45-64 years, the proportion d eclin es and, among employed women 65 and over, only 1 out o f 10 works in th is occupational f i e ld . Industry. As shown in table 14* there were wide va ria tion s in the age d is trib u tio n o f workers employed, in 1948, in in d u stries covered by old-age and survivors insurance. The proportion o f employed workers 45 years and over ranged from a high o f about 50 percent in re a l estate firm s, and 44 percent in anthra c it e mining, to le s s than 20 percent in the telephone and telegraph and automobile repair in d u stries. Among major manufacturing in d u stries, the la rg est proportion o f older workers was found in : ordnance, leather and leath er products, lumber and wood products, apparel, primary m etal, and machinery (except e le c t r ic a l) in d u stries. 2 2 Table 12*— Number of Deployed Persons Age, Sex, and b y April Major Occupational G r o u p , 1951 ( I n th o u s a n d s) Age M ajor o c c u p a t io n a l g rou p T o t a l em ployed ....................................... P r o f e s s i o n a l , t e c h n i c a l , and k in d r e d w o rk ers ........................... F arm ers and farm m anagers • • • • M an agers, o f f i c i a l s , and p ro p r i e t o r s , e x c e p t farm . . . . . . C l e r i c a l and k in d r e d w o rk ers • S a l e s w o rk ers ..................................... C ra ftsm en , fo rem en , and k in d r e d w o rk ers ........................... O p e r a t iv e s and k in d r e d w o rk ers P r i v a t e h o u se h o ld w o rk ers • • • • S e r v ic e w o rk ers, e x c e p t p r i v a t e h o u s e h o ld • ............... Farm l a b o r e r s and fo rem en • • • • L a b o r e r s , e x c e p t farm and m ine T o t a l em p loyed m a le s ......................... P r o f e s s i o n a l , t e c h n i c a l , and k in d r e d w o r k e r s ............. F arm ers and farm m anagers • • • • M an agers, o f f i c i a l s , and p r o p r i e t o r s , e x c e p t f a r m .......... .. C l e r i c a l and k in d r e d w o rk ers • S a l e s w o r k e r s . . . • • • ....................... C ra ftsm en , fo rem en , and k in d r e d w o r k e r s ......................... .. O p e r a t iv e s and k in d r e d w o rk ers P r i v a t e h o u s e h o ld w o rk ers . . . . S e r v ic e w o r k e r s , e x c e p t p r i v a t e h o u s e h o ld Farm l a b o r e r s and fo rem en . . . . L a b o r e r s , e x c e p t farm an d m ine T o t a l em p loyed f e m a le s • « • • • • • • • P r o f e s s i o n a l , t e c h n i c a l , and k in d r e d w o r k e r s ............... • • • • • Farm ers and farm m anagers • • • • M a n agers, o f f i c i a l s , and p ro p r i e t o r s , e x c e p t farm . . . . • • C l e r i c a l and k in d r e d w o r k e r s • S a l e s w o r k e r s ............... ..................... C ra ftsm en , fo rem en , and k in d r e d w o rk ers ........................... O p e r a t iv e s and k in d r e d w o rk ers P r i v a t e h o u se h o ld w o r k e r s . . . . S e r v ic e w ork ers, e x c e p t p r i v a t e h o u s e h o ld ............................. Farm l a b o r e r s and fo rem en . . . . L a b o r e r s , e x c e p t farm and m ine 65 and T o ta l, H and o v e r 4 5 -6 4 over 2 7 ,8 1 3 1 8 ,8 7 5 2 ,9 1 1 $60 296 2 ,6 3 3 1 ,6 3 6 1 ,3 8 7 1 ,7 2 8 192 490 6 ,2 a 7 ,5 7 4 3 ,6 1 8 203 2 ,2 7 9 799 2 ,8 0 4 3 ,5 3 0 1 ,6 7 2 2 ,7 7 3 1 ,6 3 4 978 46 2 131 169 8 ,4 9 1 1 2 ,5 7 0 1 ,9 2 1 78* 2 ,3 3 6 4H 4 ,3 3 2 6 ,6 3 2 633 3 ,0 0 3 3 ,3 1 0 729 374 293 147 4 ,5 2 0 2 ,3 3 9 3 ,8 5 0 778 959 1 ,0 3 8 1 ,7 0 9 725 1 ,5 1 0 1 ,6 7 7 534 1 ,1 2 4 357 118 179 4 2 ,1 5 4 6 ,3 5 2 1 9 ,7 5 3 1 3 ,6 9 7 2 ,3 5 2 2 ,9 8 7 3 ,9 4 4 230 288 1 ,7 7 1 1 ,5 5 8 846 1 ,6 2 7 139 471 5 ,2 0 2 2 ,6 4 3 2 ,3 5 4 161 555 476 2 ,3 3 6 1 ,2 6 8 1 ,1 5 2 2 ,3 2 6 729 595 380 91 131 8 ,2 8 0 8 ,8 3 3 49 745 1 ,6 7 4 13 4 ,2 2 4 4 ,6 7 4 10 2 ,9 5 4 2 ,2 5 0 18 359 236 8 2 ,3 7 7 1 ,7 3 1 3 ,7 5 3 349 861 1 ,0 0 1 832 450 1 ,4 7 8 933 324 1 ,0 9 5 264 95 179 1 7 ,8 9 0 4 ,0 9 3 8 ,0 6 0 5 ,1 7 8 559 1 ,7 8 4 205 33 0 8 862 78 540 101 53 19 42 1 ,7 2 4 323 468 2 ,2 6 2 520 446 905 38 3 82 40 38 211 3 ,7 3 7 1 ,8 7 2 39 662 401 108 1 ,9 5 9 623 49 1 ,0 5 9 711 15 57 139 2 ,1 4 3 608 97 429 98 37 877 275 32 744 211 29 93 23 1 4 -2 4 2 5 -4 4 6 0 ,O U 1 0 ,4 4 5 A , 771 4 ,H 9 1 ,0 3 9 4 ,9 3 1 1 ,2 6 4 . •e • E s tim a t e s a r e s u b j e c t t o sa m p lin g v a r i a t i o n w h ich may b e l a r g e i n o a s e s w h ere t h e q u a n t i t i e s shown a r e r e l a t i v e l y s m a l l . T h e r e fo r e , t h e s m a lle r e s t i m a t e s s h o u ld b e u se d w it h c a u t i o n . S o u rces IF. S . B ureau o f t h e C en su s. 2 3 Table 13.— Percent Distribution of Age, Baployed and Sex, Persons April b y Major Occupational Group, 1951 Age M ajor o c c u p a t io n a l grou p 65 and T o ta l, M and o v e r 1 4 -2 4 2 5 -4 4 -15-64 over 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 7 .9 6.9 5 .4 2.8 9 .5 5.9 7 .3 9.2 6 .6 1 6 .8 1 0 .4 1 2 .6 6 .0 1 .9 2 1 .8 7 .6 1 0 .1 1 2 .7 6 .0 1 4 .6 8 .7 5 .2 1 5 .9 4 .5 5 .8 H .l 2 0 .9 3.2 7.5 2 2 .4 4.0 1 5 .6 2 3 .8 2.3 1 5 .9 1 7 .5 3.9 1 2 .8 1 0 .1 5.0 7 .5 3.9 6 .4 7 .4 9.2 9 .9 6 .1 2.6 5 .4 8 .9 2.8 6 .0 1 2 .2 4.1 6 .1 T o t a l em ployed m a le s ......................... P r o f e s s i o n a l , t e c h n i c a l , and k in d r e d w o rk ers ................. • . • • Farm ers and farm m anagers . . . . M an agers, o f f i c i a l s , and p r o p r i e t o r s , e x c e p t farm ............. C l e r i c a l and k in d r e d w ork ers • S a l e s w o rk ers .................................... C ra ftsm en , fo r e m e n , and k in d r e d w o rk ers ...................... .. O p e r a t iv e s and k in d r e d w ork ers P r i v a t e h o u s e h o ld w o rk ers • • • • S e r v ic e w ork ers, e x c e p t p r i v a t e h o u se h o ld ............................. Farm la b o r e r s and forem en . . . . L a b o r e r s, e x c e p t farm and m ine 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 7 .1 9.4 3 .6 4.5 9 .0 7.9 6 .2 1 1 .9 5 .9 2 0 .0 1 2 .3 6 .3 5 .6 2 .5 8 .7 7 .5 1 1 .8 6 .4 5 .8 1 7 .0 5 .3 4 .3 1 6 .2 3 .9 5 .6 1 9 .6 2 1 .0 .1 1 1 .7 2 6 .4 .2 2 1 .4 23.7 .1 2 1 .6 1 6 .4 .1 1 5 .3 1 0 .0 .3 5 .6 4.1 8 .9 5 .5 1 3 .6 1 5 .8 4 .2 2 .3 7 .5 6 .8 2 .4 8 .0 1 1 .2 4 .0 7 .6 T o t a l em ployed f e m a le s .................... 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 .0 1.1 8 .1 .2 1 0 .7 1.0 1 0 .4 2.0 9 .5 3.4 5 .8 2 7 .6 7 .1 1 .0 4 2 .1 . 7 .9 5 .8 2 8 .1 6 .5 8 .6 1 7 .5 7 .4 1 4 .7 7 .2 6 .8 1 .2 2 0 .9 1 0 .5 1 .0 1 6 .2 9 .8 1 .3 2 4 .3 7 .7 .9 2 0 .5 1 3 .7 2 .7 1 0 .2 2 4 .9 1 2 .0 3.4 .5 1 0 .5 2.4 .9 1 0 .9 3.4 .4 14 * 4 4.1 .6 1 6 .6 4.1 • *• T o t a l em p loyed ....................................... P r o f e s s i o n a l , t e c h n i c a l , and k in d r e d w o r k e r s ........................... F arm ers and farm m anagers . . . . M an agers, o f f i c i a l s , and p r o p r i e t o r s , e x c e p t farm • • • • . . C l e r i c a l and k in d r e d w ork ers . S a l e s w o rk ers ..................................... C ra ftsm en , fo r e m e n , and k in d r e d w o r k e r s • • • • • • • • • • • . O p e r a t iv e s and k in d r e d w ork ers P r i v a t e h o u s e h o ld w ork ers . . . . S e r v ic e w ork ers, e x c e p t p r i v a t e h o u s e h o l d ............................. Farm la b o r e r s and forem en • • • • L a b o r e r s , e x c e p t farm and m ine P r o f e s s i o n a l , t e c h n i c a l , and k in d r e d w o rk ers .......... Farm ers and farm m anagers . . . . M an agers, o f f i c i a l s , and p ro p r i e t o r s , e x c e p t farm ............. C l e r i c a l and k in d r e d w ork ers • S a l e s w ork ers • ................. .. C ra ftsm en , fo r e m e n , and k in d r e d w o r k e r s ........................... O p e r a t iv e s and k in d r e d w o rk ers P r i v a t e h o u s e h o ld w ork ers . . . . S e r v ic e w ork ers, e x c e p t p r i* a t e h o u s e h o ld • ........................ .. Farm la b o r e r s and forem en . . . . L a b o r e r s , e x c e p t farm and m ine E s tim a t e s a r e s u b j e c t t o sa m p lin g v a r i a t i o n w h ich may be l a r g e i n o a s e s w here t h e q u a n t i t i e s shown a r e r e l a t i v e l y s m a l l . T h e r e fo r e , t h e s m a lle r e s t i m a t e s s h o u ld b e u s e d w it h c a u t i o n . S ource: U. S . B u reau o f t h e C e n s u s . 2 4 ‘ Table H i*— P e r c e n t D i s t r i b u t i o n o f W orkers w it h Wage C r e d it s U nder OASI, b y Age Group and L a s t I n d u s tr y E m ployed, 19U8 T o ta l, 1 / a ll ages I n d u s tr y T o ta l 7 Under 1*5 years U5 y e a r s and o v e r T o ta l * 1*5-61* years 6J y e a r s and o v e r j..................................................................................................... 1 0 0 .0 7 3 .0 27.0 2 3 .9 3 .1 M i n i n g ............... ...........................................* .............. M e ta l m in in g .............................................. • • • • • ................ .. A n t h r a c it e m in in g * ............... * .......................................... .. B itu m in o u s and o t h e r s o f t - c o a l m in in g ............... • • • • Crude p e tr o le u m and n a t u r a l - g a s p r o d u c tio n • • • • • • N o n m e ta llic m in in g and q u a r r y in g • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • * 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 6 6 .9 6 5 .7 5 5 .2 6 5 .1 73.6 6 8 .2 3 3 .1 3 U .3 til*. 8 31*. 9 26 . l i 3 1 .8 3 0 .0 30.1* 1*1.1 3 1 .6 2U .6 2 7 .5 3 .1 3 .9 3 .8 3 .3 1 .8 U .3 1 0 0 .0 7 0 .3 2 9 .7 2 6 .5 3 .2 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 ■' 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 7 1 .5 6 7 .9 7 3 .8 7 3 .1 7 1 .2 6 9 .5 6 8 .8 7 1 .lt 73.5 7 1 .9 72.9 7 1 .2 7 lt.2 6 9 .5 7 2 .1 6 7 .7 73.3 6 8 .7 77.8 7 0 .lt 7 5 .0 7 1 .8 2 8 .5 3 2 .1 2 6 .9 2 8 .8 3 0 .5 3 1 .2 2 8 .6 2 6 .5 2 8 .1 2 7 .1 2 8 .8 2 5 .8 3 0 .5 27.9 3 2 .3 2 6 .7 3 1 .3 22.2 29.6 2 5 .0 2 8 .2 2 5 .2 3 0 .1 2 3 .3 23.1* 25.1* 2 7 .1 2 6 .6 2 3 .8 23.1* 23.9 21*. 5 2 7 .8 2 3 .9 2 6 .0 21*. U 2 9 .2 2 3 .5 2 7 .3 2 0 .5 2 7 .0 2 2 .1 21*. 3 3 .3 2 .0 2 .9 3 .5 3 .U 3 .U U .6 U .8 3 .2 U. 2 2 .6 1 .0 1 .9 U .5 3 .5 3 .1 3 .2 1 .0 1 .7 2 .6 2 .9 3 .9 M a n u f a c t u r in g ......................... ........................................ ..................... O rdnance and a c c e s s o r i e s ........................................................ Food and k in d r e d p r o d u c t s ................................................... .. T ob acco m a n u fa c tu r e s • • • • ..................................... ................ T e x t i l e m i l l p r o d u c ts *.................... ........................................ A p p a rel and o t h e r f i n i s h e d p r o d u c ts Lumber and wood p r o d u c ts ( e x c e p t f u r n i t u r e ) • • • * • F u r n itu r e and f i x t u r e s ......................................................» • • P aper and a l l i e d p r o d u c ts • • • • • ..................• • • • • • • * • » P r i n t i n g , p u b l i s h i n g , and a l l i e d i n d u s t r i e s • • • • • C h em ica ls and a l l i e d p r o d u c t s ............................................ L e a th e r and l e a t h e r p r o d u c ts • • * • • • • * • • • • .................. S t o n e , c l a y , and g l a s s p r o d u c ts * • • • • • • • .................... P rim a ry m e ta l i n d u s t r i e s • • • • • • « • • • . ............. F a b r ic a t e d m e ta l p r o d u c t s ...................................................... M a ch in ery ( e x c e p t e l e c t r i c a l ) • • • • ................................ .. E l e c t r i c a l m a ch in e ry * ............................................................. .. T r a n s p o r ta t io n eq u ip m en t *...............................................• • • In s tr u m e n ts and r e l a t e d p r o d u c ts ..................................... M is c e lla n e o u s m a n u fa c tu r in g i n d u s t r i e s ...................... 2 6 .2 T r a n s p o r t a t io n , co m m u n ication , and p u b li c u t i l i t i e s 3 / L o c a l r a i l w a y s and b u s l i n e s ............... • • • • • • • • • • • • • T r u c k in g and w a r e h o u s in g f o r h i r e .................................. W ater t r a n s p o r t a t i o n ...................................................... • • • • • O ther t r a n s p o r t a t i o n and a l l i e d s e r v i c e s • • • • • • * • Com m unication: t e l e p h o n e , t e l e g r a p h , and r e l a t e d s e r v i c e s • • • • • ........................... • • • • • • • • • • • • • U t i l i t i e s and o t h e r p u b li c s e r v i c e s • * • • • • • • • • • • • 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 76.2 6 6 .2 78.3 7 0 .9 7 6 .5 2 3 .8 3 3 .8 2 1 .7 2 9 .1 2 3 .5 2 2 .0 3 0 .9 1 9 .7 2 5 .8 2 1 .6 1 .8 2 .9 2 .0 3 .3 1 .8 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 8 2 .8 6 8 .9 1 7 .2 3 1 .1 16.1* 2 9 .1 .8 2 .1 W h o le sa le and r e t a i l t r a d e * • • * • • • • * • • • • • • .................... W h o le sa le t r a d e W ........................... ............................ .. R e t a i l t r a d e * ................................................................................... 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 7 6 .6 73.2 77.8 2 3 .lt 2 6 .8 2 2 .2 2 0 .8 2 3 .8 1 9 .7 2 .6 3 .0 2 .5 F in a n c e , in s u r a n c e , and r e a l e s t a t e • • • • • • • • • • • * « • • • Banks and o t h e r f i n a n c e a g e n c i e s , and h o l d i n g co m p an ies * ........................... ...................................... I n s u r a n c e ............................................................................................. R e a l e s t a t e .....................................• • • • • • • • • • • • • * • • • • • • • 1 0 0 .0 6 5 .9 31*. 1 2 8 .6 5 .5 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 6 9 .8 7 6 . lj 5 0 .2 3 0 .2 2 3 .6 1*9.8 2 5 .6 21.1* 3 9 .9 U .6 2 .2 9 .9 S e r v ic e i n d u s t r i e s » • • ..................................... • • • • • • • .............. H o t e ls and lo d g in g p l a c e s • • • • .............• • • • • • • • • • • * • P e r s o n a l and b u s i n e s s s e r v i c e s . . . . ................................ A u tom ob ile and m is c e lla n e o u s r e p a ir s e r v i c e s • • • • M otion p i c t u r e s • • • • • ...................... ........................................ Amusement, r e c r e a t i o n , and r e l a t e d s e r v i c e s .......... O ther s e r v i c e i n d u s t r i e s ....................................... .............. .. 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 1 0 0 .0 7 3 .lt 6 3 .5 7 5 .2 8 1 .1 78.2 77.3 7 1 .0 26.6 3 6 .5 21*. e 1 8 .9 2 1 .8 22.7 2 9 .0 23.2 3 0 .9 22.3 1 6 .7 1 8 .6 19.1* 2 5 .3 3.3 5 .6 2.5 2 .2 3 .1 3 .3 3 .7 H/ F ig u r e s do n o t n e c e s s a r i l y add t o t o t a l b e c a u s e o f rou n d in g* I n c lu d e s w o rk ers c o v e r e d u n d er OASI i n a g r i c u l t u r e , f o r e s t r y , and f i s h i n g ; i n t e r s t a t e r a i l r o a d s ; e s t a b l i s h m en ts n o t e ls e w h e r e c l a s s i f i e d ; and in d u s t r y n o t r e p o r te d * E x c lu d e s w o rk ers w ith a g e n o t r e p o r te d * E x c lu d e s i n t e r s t a t e r a i l r o a d s . I n c lu d e s com bined w h o le s a le and r e t a i l t r a d e e s ta b lis h m e n ts * Source: B ased on t a b u l a t i o n o f 1 p e r c e n t sa m p le . S u r v iv o r s I n s u r a n c e . S o c i a l S e c u r i t y A d m in is tr a t io n , Bureau o f O ld-A ge and 25 Class o f Worker. Table 15 shows that the r e la tiv e importance o f s e l f employment r is e s sharply with age. Only 1 o f 8 employed persons under age 4.5, and 1 in 4 aged 45 to 64 were classed as self-em ployed in A pril 1950, However, over tw o -fifth s o f those past 65 were in the self-em ployed group. Many workers tend to open th e ir own business, or work on th eir own account, a fte r they acquire the re q u isite experJ ace or c a p ita l. In p a rt, however, th is pattern is a lso the re su lt o f c-’ ta ile d opportuni t ie s fo r wage or sa la ried employment a t advanced ag--.au Table 15 .— D istribu tion o f Employed Persons by Age Group and Class o f Worker, A p ril 1950 A ge Wage or salary workers T otal 1 / S e lfemployed workers Unpaid fam ily workers Number (in thousands) T ota l, 14 and over . . . 1 4 -4 4 .......................... 45 and over .............. 45-64 ...................... 65 and over . . . . . . 58,668 37,800 20,872 17,981 2,891 46,381 31,705 14,679 13,092 1,587 10,614 4,840 5,776 4,534 1,242 1,675 1,258 422 358 64 Percent d istrib u tio n T o ta l, 14 and over . . . 14-44 •••••••••••••• 45 and over .............. 45-64 ...................... 65 and over ........... 1/ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 79.0 83.9 70.3 72.8 54.8 18.1 12.8 27.7 25.2 43.0 2 .9 3.3 2 .0 2.0 2.2 Figures do not n ecessa rily add to group to ta ls because o f rounding. Source* U. S. Bureau o f the Census. 26 D uration o f Employment on C urren t Jobs The number of years employed on his current job is an important factor in the employment status of the older worker, with especially signifi cant effects on seniority rights and related benefits based on length of serv ice. These include potential benefits under private pension programs which are generally related to years of service with a particular employer. The extent to which a large sector of the older working population has no substantial protection based on length of service is indicated by a sample survey made by the Bureau of the Census in January 1951. The study sought to ascertain the length of time the approximately 59 million persons employed in January 1951 had worked at their current jobs. For wage and sal ary workers, a job was defined in this survey as a continuous period of employ ment (except for vacations, strikes, short-term lay-offs, etc.) with a single employer, even though the person may have worked at several different occupa tions while working for that employer. Table 16 shows that duration of employment tended to vary directly with age, but that, particularly in the older age groups, the average period of job tenure was significantly greater for men than for women. Much of the difference reflects the more intermittent character of the labor force par ticipation of women because of household and family responsibilities. The presence of young children in the family group acts as a strong deterrent to continuous employment on the part of the mother. Ages 45-54 Years — In the age group 45-54- years about two-fifths of almost 8 million men, and almost one-fourth of about 3 million employed women had been on their current jobs since before World War II. Almost half of all the workers of these ages had obtained their current jobs since Sep tember 1945 — about 40 percent of the men and almost 60 percent of the women. The median number of years on their current jobs was 7.6 for men and 4.0 for women workers in this age group. Ages 55—6L Years — The data for men and women workers aged 55-64 reflect both the greater length of their working careers and the decreasing tendency, with advancing years, to search for new job attachments. In this age group almost 50 percent of about 5-1/2 million men and 30 percent of 1.7 million women had held their current jobs 10 years, or more. Equally signifi cant, however, is the substantial proportion of all workers of these ages 27 who obtained their current jobs since September 194-5 — more than 35 percent of the men and more than 50 percent of the women. The data indicate that workers of those ages who stayed in the labor force after VJ-day found new jobs after the cessation of war production. However, they also reflect the extent to which men and women of this age may have been exposed in recent years to the special difficulties encountered by older workers in their efforts to find employment. In addition, the data indicate that the majority of all work ers aged 55 to 64-, approaching the so-called wnormaltt retirement age of 65» are without long-standing job attachment. For men aged 55-64, the median number of years on their current job was 9.3} for women it was 4.5 years. Ages 65 and over — In the oldest age group the larger proportion of both men and women who have held their current jobs more than 10 years, re flects their greater stability in employment. Among workers aged 65 and over, about 55 percent of almost 2.2 million men and about 35 percent of about l/2 million women had held their current jobs since before World War II. However, almost 30 percent of the men and 50 percent of the women obtained their cur rent jobs since September 1945. More than a fourth of the women 65 and over had obtained their current jobs since January 1950. 28 Table 16.—Duration of Employment on Current Jobs by Age and Sex of Workers, January 1951 Age Date current job started Total, 14 and over 65 55-64 and over 14-17 18-19 20-24 1,982 100.0 49.5 28.0 1.6 .9 .2 1*7 6,511 14,029 13,473 11,097 100.0 100.0 100*0 100.0 33.0 24.1 19.1 45.4 47.2 35.7 26.2 47.4 10.8 15.0 15.0 4.7 3.8 5.7 .5 5.9 .2 17.3 3.4 31.4 1.6 2.2 2*1 2.5 2.6 3*2 1.3 6.3 7,283 100.0 16.2 23.9 13.0 5.7 38.8 2.3 8.0 2,702 100.0 15.8 17.1 11.0 5.6 46.4 4.1 10+ 3,954 10,104 100.0 100.0 47.0 29.7 45.6 51.3 9.8 4.4 .8 3.7 .3 3.9 1.5 1.9 9,424 100*0 21*2 36.2 15.3 6.0 19.1 2*1 7,909 100.0 16.7 23.6 14.6 6.4 36.2 2.4 5,550 100.0 14.6 21.0 12.8 5.6 43.6 2.4 2,164 100.0 13.2 15.4 11.0 5.5 50.8 4.1 2.8 4.5 7.6 9.3 2,557 ' 3,925 100.0 100.0 42.8 41.1 37.6 49.7 5.1 13.4 . •« 4.1 .2 2.2 1.8 2.3 4,049 100.0 30*9 34.4 14.2 5.0 12.9 2.6 3,188 100.0 24.6 32.6 16.1 4.5 19.5 2.7 1,733 100.0 21.2 33.1 13.9 6.1 23.5 2.2 538 100.0 26.5 24.2 10.6 6.3 28.6 3.9 1.8 3.1 4.0 4.5 4.9 Both sexes Total (in thousands)*••••*•••* Percent*#•••••••#*••••*••#••## January 1950-January 1951* •* September 1945-December 1949 December 1941-August 1945*** January 1940-November 1941#* Before 1940***##*******##*** Not reported**************** 59,010 100*0 29.0 35.0 11.6 4.4 17.6 2.3 Median years on current job### 3.4 1,932 100*0 65.4 25.3 4.2 .9 ... 4.1 .7 Male Total (in thousands)********** Percent##•##•#*•••••••••••••*• January 1950-January 1951* September 1945-December 1949 December 1941-August 1945*•• January 1940-November 1941•• Before 1940***.*****..***.** Not reported**************** a , 433 100*0 26*1 34.7 11.6 4.7 20.7 2.2 1,273 100*0 61*7 27*7 6.0 1.3 #•• 3.3 1,055 100.0 68.7 25.2 2.8 1.6 .2 1.2 Median years on current job*** 3.9 .8 .6 Female Total (in thousands)*••••••*•* Percent***•••*•*•*••••••«••••* January 1950-January 1951* #• September 1945-December 1949 December 1941-August 1945*«• January 1940-November 1941* • Before 1940*........................ Not reported**************** 17,577 100*0 36.1 35.$ 11.7 3.7 10.2 2.5 659 100.0 72.6 20.8 .9 ... #•• 5.8 927 100.0 66.2 31.2 .2 «•* .2 2.3 Median years on current job**# 2.2 .5 .6 .6 1.2 1.4 25-34 35-44 45-54 10+ Percent not shown where base is less than 100,000* Source: U. S* Bureau of the Census, Series P-50, No* .36, Experience of Workers at their Current Jobs, January 1951# 29 E xtent and D uration o f Unemployment o f O lder Workers Depression Experience. Under depression conditions, the employment problems of the older workers are greatly intensified. In 194-0, following a decade of depression, workers past age 4-5, along with the youth, had the highest rates of unemployment. (See table 17.) The pattern of duration of unemployment indicates that older workers were not being laid off at a greater rate than younger persons. However, once unemployed, the older worker experienced greater difficulty in finding another job* About 8 million workers were unemployed at the time of the March 194.0 Census, which followed a decade marked by severe depression, partial recovery, and the sharp recession of 1937-38. Long-term unemployment (as measured by the proportion of wage and salary workers seeking work 6 months or more) was almost twice as severe among men 55 years of age and over as among younger adult workers between 25 and 44- years of age. Lack of job opportunities probably led many older men to abandon the search for work, although still capable of work ing, and to withdraw from the labor force. The rate of labor force participa tion of male workers aged 65 and older dropped sharply frcm 54- percent in 1930 to 4-2 percent in 194-0. (See table 9*) Table 17.-— Fercent of Wage and Salary Workers in Each Age Group Seeking Work, by Duration of Unemployment, April 1940 Total experienced wage and salary workers Age 14-24..... . 25-34........ 35-44........ 45-54........ 55-64........ 65 and over... Source: 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Percent seeking work Under 6 months Total 7.5 4.4 3.8 4.1 4.5 3.9 14.5 8.9 8.5 10.3 13.6 13.1 6 to 11 months 3.4 1.8 1.8 2.1 2.8 2.6 12 months and over 3.6 2.7 2.9 4.1 6.3 6.6 Adapted from Sixteenth Census of Population, 1940: The Labor Force, Employment and Fersonal Characteristics, U. S. Bureau of the Census* 30 Postwar Period* Even in 1948* a period of "minimum" unemployment generally, unemployment rates for wage and salary workers aged 45 or over were higher than for younger adults, and appreciably so for workers 65 and over. More over, the average duration of unemployment for workers aged 65 and over was twice as great as for the teen-age unemployed, according to unpublished Census data. With the rise in unemployment after 1948, older workers were es pecially hard-hit. Between the first quarter of 1948 and the corresponding period of 1950, the unemployment rate for all wage and salary workers in creased by SOpercent, and the rate for workers aged 45 and over almost doubled. (See table 18.) This was partly because most of the industries that experienced the greatest employment declines had especially large proportions of workers of mature age, particularly men. There was evidence, too, of high er average duration of unemployment for older workers. As shown in table 18, older workers have benefited, along with other groups in the working population, from the expansion of employment op portunities that began in the spring of 1950 and gained momentum in the months following the outbreak of hostilities in Korea. However, the unemployment rates for workers 45 years and over in the first quarter of 1952 continued above the rates for younger adult workers aged 25 to 44» and the group aged 65 and over continued to show the highest rate of unemployment among workers 25 years of age and over. Table 18.— Unemployment Rates 1/ for Wage and Salary Workers by Age Group, First Quarter, 1948-52 Age 14 and o v e r ......... . 1 4 - 2 4 ................... 25-44 ................... 45 and o v e r ........... . 45-64 ................. 65 and over ........... 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 5.0 8.8 3.6 4.3 4.0 6.0 6.2 10.0 4.9 5.7 5.5 7.9 8.9 13.5 7.0 8.5 8.3 9.8 4.6 6.5 3.8 4.8 4.4 8.1 3.9 6.7 3.1 3.5 3.4 5.0 1/ Percent of wage and salary workers unemployed, estimated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics from Census data. A breakdown for the unem ployed by class of worker was not available, but it was assumed for this purpose that all the unemployed could be classed as wage and salary workers. 31 Older Workers In the Experienced Labor Reserve Total manpower requirements for the national defense program and for expected levels of civilian output will increase by 3-1/2 million in the 2-year period 1952-53, according to estimates of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This increase will be met, in part, by reductions in unemployment and "normal" growth of the labor force. In addition, the expected manpower deeds will require the recruitment of 1.5 million "extra" workers over the 2-year period, l/ These "extra" workers must be recruited from reserve groups not now in the labor force, such as housewives, the handicapped, and older workers. Hence, it is important to appraise the potential contribution to estimated man power requirements which may be expected from men and women in the older age groups. The extent to which older workers the experienced labor reserve is shown by a Census in March 1951. The survey indicated persons aged 20 years and over who were not not' disabled for further employment but who since our entry into World War II. Men and stituted 4-1/2 million of these experienced constitute a significant part of survey made by the Bureau of the that there were roughly 13 million in the labor force at that time and had substantial paid work experience women 45 years of age and over con workers. 2/ Among the total 13 million experienced workers, some 11 million about 85 percent - were women. Of these, the group constituting the largest potential source of reserve manpower were the almost 6 million women without children "under 6 years old. Within this group, about 2 million women were 45 to 64 years of age and an additional l/2 million were 65 years and over. Only about 2-1/4 million men were numbered among those in the exper ienced labor reserve. Among these men, 75 percent were 45 years and over and about half, or more than a million, were aged 65 and over. About 1.2 million men and almost the same number of women who were 45 years of age and over worked both during and after World War II. Of these, almost half a million men and a million women were between the ages of 45 and 64* l/ Manpower Report No. 14 — Projected Manpower Requirements and Supply, 1952-53* Bureau of Labor Statistics, U. S. Department of Labor, January 1952. 2/ For the purposes of this survey, the total with work experience included those who had worked for pay or profit at least 90 days, either during World War II or since the end of the war. 32 Skilled craftsmen are the occupational group for which there is the most urgent current and anticipated demand. There were only an estimated 634.,000 in this occupational group in the experienced labor reserve, mainly men with fa ir ly recent work experience who could probably make an important contribution to the defense e ffo rt. About half were men past U5 years o f age, and about one-third were 65 years and over. Major needed additions to manpower supply could be achieved by bring ing back into the work force qualified older men and women with previous work experience. Retraining and careful placement w ill contribute to their maximum u tilisa tion . Moreover, the need for additional new workers can be minimized by encouraging the retention in employment o f workers who reach retirement age. Tables 19 and 20 present detailed data on the previous work exper ience, for a ll age groups, o f persons in the experienced labor reserve. 33 Table 19.—4iajor Occupational Group of Previous Job for Persons in the Experienced Labor Reserve in March 1951# by Age and Sex Percent of experienced labor reserve Major occupational group ] / Total, 20 years of age and over Female Male Total, 20 years of age Total and over 20 to 44 years 45 to 64 years 65 and over Total (thousands) Marriad with children . under 6 i f Other Total 20 to 44 years 45 to years 65 and over 64 13,284 100.0 17.5 4.3 4.5 8.7 82.5 38.5 43.9 24.7 15.1 4.1 Professional, technical, and kindred workers Farmers and farm managers • • • • • • • • • Managers , o ffic ia ls , and propzleto rs, exc ept farm ................................... • • • • • • • • 974 274 100.0 100.0 14.8 93.4 4.7 3.6 3.7 25.5 6.4 64.2 85.1 6.6 42.3 ••• 42.9 6.6 23.8 ••• 14.8 5.1 4.3 1.5 618 100.0 42.1 4.9 16*2 21.0 57.9 20.7 37.2 10.7 19.4 7.1 Clerical and kindred workers * .................... Sales workers....................................................... 3,146 1,104 100.0 100.0 4.3 10.7 1.7 4.5 .7 2.0 1.9 4.2 95.7 89.3 59.9 38.4 35.8 50.9 25*6 31.0 8*8 16.5 1.3 3.4 634 100.0 63.1 10.1 19.2 33.8 36.9 17.0 19.9 12.9 6.0 .9 100.0‘ 11.9 4.0 2.8 5.0 88.1 39.9 48*2 26*4 18.3 3.5 »«• .3 8.0 3.2 4.3 34.8 15.8 28.1 3.6 10.7 99.4 86.5 19.5 32.9 20.4 12.2 10.7 79.9 53.6 52.5 16.3 67.9 33.9 29.1 24.1 9.2 35.7 28.6 18.7 21.0 6.6 17.9 17.4 5.8 7.4 .5 14.3 T o ta l.............................................................. . . Craftsmen, foremen, and kindred workers • • Operatives and kindred workers * ................ Private household workers.................... ... • • Service workers , except private household . Farm laborers and foremen • * • • • • • • • Laborers, except farm and mine • • • • • • Occupation not reported • • • • • • • • • • 3,406 678 1,678 324 392 56 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100*0 .6 13,5 27.2 71*4 21.4 .3 2.3 8.0 27.6 7.1 72.8 28.6 78.6 1 / Relates to last job of those who worked since the end of World War H and h ip est paid war job for those who worked during but not after the war* 2 / Excludes those separated from their husbands bub not yet divorced* Source: U*S. Bureau of the Census, Series P-50, No* 3$, Work Experience of the Labor Reserve: March 1951* Table 20.—Suwiary o f Work Experience o f Persons in the Labor Reserve in March 1951, by Age and Sex With work experience since beginning of World War II Total persons in labor reserve Age and sex Total Number (thousands) Total, 20 and over . . . Percent of total in labor reserve Worked Worked during bub both dur not after ing and war after war With no work experience Worked since beginning after but of World not during war War II (thousands) 4,796 6,478 2,010 23,110 1,160 56.6 75.6 56.1 552 56 116 380 1,440 206 464 770 336 306 20 10 1,536 436 194 908 32,52S 10,956 33.7 4,244 5,038 1,674 21,572 9,822 22,706 7,752 10,038 4,916 5,120 5,836 3,278 2,012 546 52.1 25.7 42.3 20.0 11.1 2,056 2,188 1,118 848 222 2,402 2,636 1,446 90S 282 662 1,012 714 256 42 4,702 16,870 4,474 8,026 4,370 . 36,394 13,284 Male, 20 and o v e r ................ 20 to 44 . ........................ 45 to 64 ............................ 65 and o v e r.................... .. 3,666 1,004 794 2,068 2,328 568 Female, 20 and over • . • . Married, with children under 6 years old . . . Other ................................... 20 to 4 4 .................... ■ . 45 to 6 4 ........................ 65 and over .................... 600 36.5 60.2 Percent distribution Total, 20 and over . . . . 100.0 100.0 Male, 20 and o v e r................ 20 to 44 ........................... 45 to 64 • • • • • • • • 65 and o v e r................ ... . 10.6 2.8 2.2 5.7 17.5 4.3 4.5 8.7 Female, 20 and over . • • . Married, with children under 6 years old . . . Other . . ........................... 20 to 44 ........................ 45 to 64 ........................ 65 and over • ................ 89.4 82.$ 27.0 62.4 21.3 27.6 13.5 3d. 5 43.9 24.7 15.1 4.1 Source: 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 22.2 3.2 ,7.2 11.9 16.7 15.2 ••* 11.5 1.2 2.4 7.9 0.5 6.7 1.9 0.8 3.9 ee♦ 88.5 77.8 83.3 93.3 ••• 42.9 45.6 23.3 17.7 4.6 37.1 40.7 22.3 14.0 4.4 32.9 50.3 35.5 12.7 2.1 20.3 73.0 19.4 34.7 18.9 •ee •• • see ••• ••• ••• ••• see 1.0 U.S. Bureau of the Census, Series P-50, No. 36, Work Experience of the Labor Reserve: March 1951* 35 LIFE EXPECTANCY AND THE LENGTH OF WORKING LIFE The Increase in Life Expectancy The average length o f l i f e in the United States reached 68 years hy 1949, an increase o f about 20 years since 1900. Table 21 shows that the aver age expected lifetim e at birth is now 71.5 years for white women and almost 66 years for white men. Average l if e expectancy at birth is now 58.6 years for nonwbite men and almost 63 years for nonwhite women. Table 21.—Average Number o f Years o f Life Remaining at Selected Ages, by Race and Sex, 1900, 1940, and 1949 White Nonvhite Age and year At birth : 1900 ..................... 1940 ..................... 1949 ............. . At age 1900 1940 1949 At age 1900 1940 1949 At age 1900 1940 1949 At age 1900 1940 1949 At age 1900 1940 1949 1/ 10: ..................... ..................... ..................... 20: ..................... ..................... ..................... 40: ..................... ..................... ..................... 60: ..................... ..................... ..................... 70: ..................... ..................... .................... Male Female Male Female 48.2 62.8 65.9 51.1 67.3 71.5 (1 /) 52.3 58.6 <±/> 55.5 62.9 50.6 57.0 58.7 52.2 60.8 63.9 (i/> 48.5 52.8 0A 50.8 56.5 42.2 47.8 49.3 43.8 51.4 54.2 0 /) 39.7 43.5 0 /) 42.1 47.1 27.7 30.0 30.9 29.2 33.2 35.3 (1 /) 25.2 27.2 (1/0 27.3 30.4 14.4 15.0 15.5 15.2 17.0 18.3 0 /) 14.4 15.3 3 2 17.7 9.0 9.4 9.8 9.6 10.5 11.3 (1 /) 10.1 11.8 0 /) 11.8 Information not available. Source: U. S. National Office of Vital Statistics* 1900 and 1940—Vital S tatistics of the United States, 1948, Part I . 1949—Abridged Life Tables fo r A ll Races, Both Sexes, in the United States, 1949* 36 The increases in life expectancy have been due largely to the con tro l o f infectious diseases, which has resulted in prolonging liv es o f persons who formerly would have died in infancy, childhood, or young adulthood. Con sequently, average lif e expectancy has increased most significantly for persons under 20. As shown in table 21, there have been less appreciable increases since 1900 in the average years o f lif e remaining at ages 4-0, 50, and 60. For white men, average lif e expectancy at age 40 increased about 3 years between 1900 and 1949} for white women, the comparable increase was about 6 years. The Growing Gan Between Total Life and Working-Life Span The impact of broad population and labor force trends on the lif e pattern o f the individual worker is illustrated by estimates of w ork-life ex pectancy developed recently by the Bureau o f Labor S ta tistics. These estimates are derived from an application o f the techniques used in construction o f the conventional lif e table to the measurement o f the length o f working l i f e . In 1900, a white male aged 40 had an average lif e expectancy o f sligh tly under 28 years, or to age 67.7; he could expect, on the average, to remain in the labor force for 24.5 years, or to age 64.5. He could anticipate, therefore, sligh tly over 3 years in retirement. These figures are, o f course, averages, and allow for the fact that a large proportion of men die before reaching retirement age, whereas others liv e substantial periods in retire ment. By 1940, the 40-year-old white male could expect to liv e for an addi tional 30 years, or to age 70. His working-life expectancy had declined slig h tly , however, so that he could anticipate nearly 6 years in retirement. Hence, the span o f retirement had nearly doubled between 1900 and 1940. For the future, a continued widening o f this gap between the tota l l if e span and the working-life span seems lik e ly . By 1975, the average re tirem ent-life expectancy o f a 40-year-old male worker w ill have risen to nearly 9-1/2 years (assuming a continuation o f 1920-40 trends in labor force participation rates) or to almost 7 years (assuming the 1947 labor force participation rates). 37 Table 22 and chart 6 show the changes in l if e expectancy and workl i f e expectancy for male workers at age 60 which have occurred since 1900. The number o f years in retirement to be expected for a 60-year-old doubled between 1900 and 1947 - - from 2.8 to 5.6 years. These comparisons focus attention on one o f the pivotal aspects o f the problems o f old-age dependency. Individually and co lle ctiv e ly , v ita l decisions w ill be made in coming decades as to the disposition o f the latter years o f l if e between retirement and continued productive a ctiv ity . In turn, these decisions w ill have important repercussions on the size of the Nation’ s labor force, the national income, and on the prospective standard o f living o f the American population. A fu ll description o f the construction and application o f the above estimates is found in : Tables o f Working L ife, Length o f Working Life for Men, Bureau o f Labor S tatistics Bulletin 1001, August 1950. Table 22.—Total Life Expectancy and Work-Life Expectancy o f Male Workers at Age 60 Average number o f years o f l if e remaining Year 1900 1 / ................... 1940 .......................... 1947 .......................... Total In labor force In retirement 14.3 15.1 15.3 11.5 9.2 9.7 2.8 5.9 5.6 The figures for average number o f years o f lif e remaining d iffe r sligh tly from data shown in table 21 as a result o f minor differences in the methods o f computation. 1 / Bata available for white males only in death registration States o f 1900, 38 Chart 6. TOTAL LIFE EXPECTANCY AND WORK-LIFE EXPECTANCY MALE WORKERS, AGE 6 0 Y ears R e m a in in g 20 1900 U N IT E D S T A T E S D E P A R T M E N T O F 1940 L A B O R BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS 39 1947 INCOME AND SOURCES OF INCOME Income o f Families The extent to which fam ily incomes varied in 1950 with the age o f the family head i s shown by data in table 23. The lowest average income is found among fam ilies where the head was aged 65 and over. Income was highest in fam ilies where the head was between 35 and 54 years o f age. The relation sh ip between family income and age o f head resu lts from several fa c to r s . Family income tends to reach a peak as the head o f the fam ily reaches the highest le v e l o f earning power, inasmuch as he is the prin c ip a l earner in most fa m ilies. In addition, the s iz e o f family and number o f earners per fam ily tend to reach a peak as the head o f the family approaches middle age. A lso, the proportion o f fam ily heads in the labor fo rce declines a fte r age 55. In 1950 there were about 4.Q m illion among a t o t a l o f almost 40 m illion fam ilies in which the head was 65 years o f age and over. Of these, almost one-third received le ss than $1,000 a year and more than h a lf had fam ily income o f le ss than $2,000. The median income was only $1,900, com pared with the highest median o f almost $3,700 fo r fam ilies in which the head was 45-54 years o f age. The median income fo r a l l fam ilies was $3,300. Data are not available fo r ages within the group 65 years and over, but the median i s probably heavily weighted by the greater incomes o f fam ilies in which the head was 65 to 69 years o f age. Income o f fam ilies in which the head i s 70 years o f age and over is undoubtedly considerably lower, inasmuch as labor fo r c e p a rticip a tion drops sharply in these ages. The average age o f men awarded old-age ben efits in 1950, under the 1939 amendments o f the S ocial Security Act, was 69.4 years. 40 Table 23.- -D is t r ib u t io n o f F a m ilie s in the U nited S tates by T o ta l Money Income and Age o f Head, 1950 Age o f fam ily head T otal money inoome Total A ll fa m ilies (in thousands) • • ».....• • • Percent .......................... ............. . Under $500 .................................................. $500 - $999 ............................................ $1,000 - $1,999 ........................................ $2,000 - $2,999 ........................................ $3,000 - $3,999 ........................................ $1?,000 - $U,999 ........................................ $5,000 - $5,999 ........................................ $6,000 - $6,999 ........................................ $7,000 - $9,999 ........................................ $10,000 and over ..................................... 39,822 100.0 5.8 5.7 13.2 17.8 20.7 13.6 9.0 5.2 5.8 3.3 Median income ................................ ............... $3,319 U?-2l? 25-3U 35-kh U5-51? 55-61? 65 and over 1,852 100.0 lu9 7.8 21.1 25.0 20. U 11.9 5.8 2.1? .7 ••• 9,002 100.0 3.8 3.5 11.2 20.6 26.3 15.3 9.1? 1?.8 l?.l 1.0 9,5U? 100.0 l?.0 3.3 10.3 16.5 23.3 15.5 11.6 6.3 5.7 3.6 8,322 100.0 U.7 U.5 11.3 15.7 19. h 1U.3 10.3 6.3 8.3 5.1 6,33U 100.0 6.6 6.1 ll?.6 17.8 16.5 13.3 7.1 5.U 7.7 U.8 U,798 100.0 1U.7 15.7 21.2 15.8 11.5 6.1? l?.l? 2.6 U.5 3.2 $3,61?1? $3,681? $3,258 $1,903 $2,613 $3,365 Figures do not n ecessarily add to the to ta l because o f rounding. Source? U. S. Bureau o f the Census, Series P-60, No. 9, Income o f Families and Persons in the United S tates: 1950* T a b l e 24.— ► D i s t r i b u t i o n o f P e r s o n s 1 4 Y e a r s a n d O v e r b y T o t a l M o n e y I n c o m e , A g e , a n d S e x , 1 9 5 0 T o t a l m o n e y in c o m e and se x Age T o ta l 1 4 -1 9 2 0 -2 4 2 5 -3 4 3 5 -4 4 4 5 -5 4 5 5 -6 4 65 and o ve r 1 0 ,9 8 8 1 0 ,8 5 1 1 0 0 .0 3 .3 5 .8 1 5 .3 2 6 .7 2 7 .7 1 2 .0 8 .4 .7 1 0 ,0 7 2 9 ,9 3 5 1 0 0 .0 3 .9 4 .3 1 2 .5 2 1 .5 2 7 .0 1 4 .0 1 3 .9 2 .9 8 ,5 5 0 8 ,4 1 0 1 0 0 .0 6 .2 6 .1 1 4 .7 2 0 .5 2 3 .6 1 2 .4 1 2 .8 3 .7 6 ,7 2 8 6 ,4 8 2 1 0 0 .0 1 0 .8 9 .3 1 7 .3 2 2 .4 2 0 .2 8 .8 8 .2 3 .0 5 ,4 6 4 4 ,9 1 1 1 0 0 .0 2 5 .8 2 4 .9 2 0 .3 1 3 .8 7 .2 2 .5 3 .6 2 .1 M a le T o t a l ( i n t h o u s a n d s ) ....................... . • T o t a l w i t h in c o m e ( i n t h o u s a n d s ) . P e r c e n t w i t h in c o m e ................. .. .. U n d e r $ 5 0 0 1 / ................................. ♦ 500 - 4 9 9 9 ............................. ♦ 1 , 0 0 0 - $ 1 , 9 9 9 ............................. $ 2 , 0 0 0 - $ 2 , 9 9 9 ............................. ♦ 3 , 0 0 0 - $ 3 , 9 9 9 ............................. ♦ 4 , 0 0 0 - 1 4 , 9 9 9 ............................. ♦ 5 , 0 0 0 - $ 9 , 9 9 9 ............................. $ 1 0 , OCX) a n d o v e r ................. . .. 5 2 ,5 9 2 4 7 ,5 8 5 1 0 0 .0 1 1 .3 9 .4 1 6 .4 2 1 .6 2 0 .9 9 .6 8 .6 2 .0 5 ,9 0 4 2 ,4 7 6 1 0 0 .0 6 3 .4 1 7 .7 1 2 .8 5 .1 .7 .3 . •• •• • 4 ,8 8 6 4 ,5 2 0 1 0 0 .0 1 1 .4 1 3 .5 2 7 .0 2 9 .2 1 4 .0 3 .5 1 .3 M e d ia n in c o m e ..................................... $ 2 ,5 7 0 ♦ 394 ♦ 1 ,9 3 3 $ 2 ,9 6 1 ♦ 3 ,2 5 4 ♦ 3 ,0 9 1 ♦ 2 ,4 9 4 ♦ 986 F e m a le T o t a l ( i n t h o u s a n d s ) • • • • • • • ............. T o t a l w i t h in c o m e ( i n t h o u s a n d s ) . P e r c e n t w i t h in c o m e ............... . U n d e r $ 5 0 0 1 / ................................. ♦ 500 - $ 9 9 9 ................... .............. ♦ 1 , 0 0 0 - 1 1 , 9 9 9 ............................. ♦ 2 , 0 0 0 - $ 2 , 9 9 9 ............................. ♦ 3 , 0 0 0 - ^ 3 , 9 9 9 ............................. ♦ 4 , 0 0 0 - $ 4 , 9 9 9 ............................. $ 5 , 0 0 0 - t o , 9 9 9 ............................. $ 1 0 , 0 0 0 a n d o v e r ......... . ................ 5 6 ,9 0 0 2 4 ,6 5 1 1 0 0 .0 3 2 .0 1 9 .8 2 3 .6 1 8 .1 4 .5 1 .2 .6 .2 6 ,2 8 0 2 ,0 4 3 1 0 0 .0 6 3 .7 1 6 .9 1 5 .3 4 .2 • ••• 5 ,7 4 0 3 ,1 5 8 1 0 0 .0 2 3 .6 1 6 .0 3 3 .5 2 5 .3 1 .4 .1 .1 e•• 1 2 ,1 2 0 5 ,0 8 3 1 0 0 .0 2 5 .2 1 6 .2 2 6 .4 2 4 .6 6 .0 1 .1 .3 .1 1 0 ,7 8 0 4 ,4 3 3 1 0 0 .0 2 5 .5 1 7 .1 2 4 .6 2 2 .9 7 .5 1 .5 .5 .2 8 ,8 8 2 3 ,8 4 1 1 0 0 .0 2 5 .2 1 8 .5 2 6 .5 1 9 .2 6 .5 2 .5 1 .2 .3 6 ,9 2 6 2 ,7 6 5 1 0 0 .0 3 1 .6 2 2 .0 2 2 .1 1 6 .1 4 .8 2 .0 1 .3 .3 6 ,1 7 2 3 ,3 2 8 1 0 0 .0 4 7 .9 3 4 .5 1 1 .1 3 .8 1 .2 .5 .7 .4 ♦ 953 ♦ 392 $ 1 ,4 0 0 $ 1 ,3 5 5 $ 1 ,3 0 8 ♦ 1 ,2 4 2 ♦ 918 ♦ 531 M e d ia n in c o m e e •• •• • •• •e • Figures do not n ecessarily add to to ta l because o f rounding* 1 / Excludes persons with no income and includes those reporting a net loss* Source: U. S. Bureau o f the Census, Series P—60, No. 9 > Income o f Families and Persons in the United States: 1950 Income of Hon and Women Data on income, in 1950, of men and women b y age are given in table 24 . The distribution of persons b y income pertains only to those who received some money income. The data indicate, that in 1950 more than l/2 million of 5- 1 /2 million men in the age group 65 years and over received no money income^ even though money Income was defined to include such receipts as pensions, governmental payments, public assistance, and even contributions for support from persons not members of the household. Even among men 55 to 65 there were almost 250,000 out of 6.7 million who received no money income. Of about 4*9 million men aged 65 years and over wh o were income recipients, more than 70 percent had incomes of less than $2 ,000 . The Income of half the men in this age group was less than $ 1 ,000 , and a fourth received incomes of less than $500. The median income for men in this age group was $ 986 , compared with almost $ 2,500 for men aged 55 to 64 , and almost $ 3,100 at ages 45 to 54* The median income for women was muc h lower than for men at each age and there was less sharp variation among the age groups. It is true that many women are not entirely dependent on their own incomes. An important con sideration relating to the adequacy of income among 6 .2 million women.aged 65 years and over is the more than 3 million widows in the group. In addition, more than a half million women of those ages are single or divorced. Of all the women 65 years and over, 2 .8 million, or almost half, had no money income of their own. Of those receiving income, the amount was less than $500 for almost half. About 82 percent had incomes of less than $1,000. Sources of Income -- June 1951 Table 25 presents, for June 1951, the semiannual estimate prepared b y the Social Security Administration of the number of persons aged 65 and over in the population with income from employment, social insurance and related programs, and public assistance. According to these estimates, of a total 12.7 million persons in the population aged 65 and over, about one-fourth, or 3 million, received old-age and survivors insurance. One-fifth, or 2.7 million, were on the public assistance rolls. Among all persons 65 years and over, 3.9 million, or 30 percent, had income from employment. 43 The trend has been toward a continuing decline in the relative number of older persons with income from employment. In 1944-* when rela tively more aged persons were in the labor force than at any other time since 1940, approximately 40 percent o f the population aged 65 and over were in receipt of earnings. B y the end of 1950 this proportion ha d dropped to 30 percent, reflecting, in part, a reduction in employment opportunities for older workers. Table 25 •— Estimated Number o f Persons Aged 65 and Over Receiving Income from Specified Source, June 1951 1/ (In millions) Source of income Total in population 2 / ................ . Employment ....................... Earners .............. ....... . Wives of earners .......... ............ Social insurance and related programs: Old-age and survivors insurance •••••• Railroad r e t i r e m e n t ................... Federal employee retirement programs.. Veterans' compensation and pension program ..................... Other i j ............. ................. Public assistance .............. ......... Total Men Women 12.7 6.0 6.7 3.9 2.9 .9 2.4 2.4 • e• 1.4 3.0 .3 .2 1.7 •2 .1 1.3 .1 .3 .2 .1 i / 1.3 a .3 i.4 •4 2.7 .5 .9 y 2 / Continental United States only. 2 / Includes persons with no income and wit h income from sources other than those specified. Some persons received income from more than one of the sources listed. 2 / Less than 50,000. i j Beneficiaries of State and local government programs and wives o f male beneficiaries of programs other than old-age and survivors insurance. j>/ Old-age assistance. Source: Social Security Administration. Earners aged 65 and over estimated b y the Bureau of the Census. Population aged 65 and over, number of wives of earners, and number of wives of male beneficiaries of programs other than old-age and survivors insurance estimated from Bureau of the Census data. Number of persons in receipt of payments under social insurance and related programs and from public assistance, reported b y administrative agencies, partly estimated. 44 RETIREMENT AND PENSION PROGRAMS BASED ON EMPLOYMENT M a j o r Social Insurance Programs Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Program Coverage. The purpose of the program, established under the Social Security A ct of 1935, is to provide continuing income for workers and their families as partial replacement of earnings lost through old-^ge retirement or death of the wage earner. Amendments in 1950 extended the law to cover more than 45 million persons in a n average week. Newly covered, beginning in 1951, are selfemployed people (other than farm operators and certain professional groups), regular household employees, regular farm employees, and many Federal workers not covered b y the civil service retirement system. Certain employees of non profit organizations previously excluded from coverage and certain employees of State and local governments m a y also be covered by the law. Monthly re tirement benefits in varying amounts are payable to the workers themselves at age 65 or over; to their wives and dependent husbands aged 65 or over who are living with them and w h o are not entitled to equivalent benefits on their own wage records; to wives under 65 wh o have i n their care children entitled to monthly benefits; and to unmarried dependent children under age 18. Total monthly benefits payable with respect to the wage record of a n insured worker range from a minimum of $20 to a maximum of $150 a month, in accordance w i t h his past covered earnings and the number and relationship of the persons entitled to benefits. In addition to a n y monthly payments, upon the death of a n insured person a l ump sum is payable to his widow or widower or to the persons w ho paid the burial expenses. Entitlement t o monthly benefits or lump-sum payments depends on the Insured status of the worker, the age and relationship of the worker and his dependents, and application for such benefits, or payments. Monthly benefits are not payable for a ny month in w h i c h t h e b e n e f i c i a r y or the wage e a r n e r on whose wage credits benefits are based earns more than $50 from services in covered employment or in railroad employment. Whe n a person receiving monthly old*<ige and survivors insurance payments renders substantial services in selfemployment covered b y the law and has net earnings averaging more than $50 a month in a taxable year, payments are not made for one or more months. The number of benefits not payable depends on the amount of earnings in the year and on the number of months in which substantial services were rendered. 2 / 2/ U. S. Government Organization Manual 1951-52 (p. 375) • 45 Current Benefit Payments. A t the end of June 1951, about 2*1 million retired worker families were receiving monthly benefits under old-age and survivors insurance* They constituted 73 percent of almost 2.9 m illion families (in cluding survivors) receiving payments under this insurance program. Payments to a n approximate 1*5 million retired workers, with n o de pendents receiving benefits, averaged $4-3.50 a month for m e n and $33*60 for women. Of the approximate 2.1 million recipients of old-age benefits, 30 per cent of the m e n and 6 percent of the w omen received monthly payments averaging from $55 to $68*50, the highest amounts which were paid to retired workers without dependents* The average monthly payment for slightly more than h alf a million retired m e n with wives aged 65 and over was $70.40* Railroad Retirement and Survivor Benefit Program Cover a g e . The purpose of the program, which operates under the Railroad Re tirement Act, is to provide continuing income for railroad employees and their families a3 partial replacement of earnings lost through the retirement or death of the employee. Approximately 1,500,000 employees are covered on a n average day* Monthly retirement annuities are payable to employees w h o are: (1) 65 years of age and have completed 10 years of service; (2) 60-64 years of age and have completed 30 years of service (annuity reduced for m e n but not for women); (3) 60-64 years of age, have completed 10 years of service, are perma nently disabled for w ork in their regular railroad occupation, and have a cur rent connection wit h the railroad industry; (4) less than 60 years of age, have completed 20 years of service, are permanently disabled for wor k in their reg ular railroad occupation, and have a current connection w i t h the railroad in dustry; and (5) less than 65 years of age, have completed 10 years of service, and are permanently disabled for all regular gainful employment* A monthly annuity is also payable, since November 1, 1951, to the wife (or dependent husband) of a retired employee who is 65 years of age* The wife must also be 65 or have in her care a n employee*s child who is unmarried, under 18, and dependent on the employee* The husband of a woman employee must be 65 and must be dependent upon the employee for at least half of his support* A spouse*8 annuity is equal to half the employee*s annuity, up to $40 a month* These annuities are computed on the basis of the employee's years of service and average compensation. Earnings in excess of $300 a month are not credited. A t the present time, the m aximum annuity payable is $165*60* y Social Security Administration* 46 A monthly benefit is also payable to a former pensioner of a rail road carrier if he is not eligible for a retirement annuity and was on the pension rolls of his employer on March 1 and July 1, 1937. Special provisions govern the monthly retirement and survivor benefits payable when an employee has credited employment under both the Railroad Retire ment Act and the Social Security Act. Annuities are not payable to an employee or his spouse for a n y month in which the employee works for a railroad or for his last nonrailroad employer if his last employment was outside the railroad industry. A spouse's annuity is not payable for any month in which the spouse works for a railroad or her (his) last nonrailroad employer. Entitlement to monthly an d insurance lump-sum survivor benefits de pends on the insured status of the employee and on the age and relationship of the survivor. Survivor benefits are based on the employee1s combined railroad and social security earnings after 1936. The maximum payable to a single family is $160. A monthly survivor benefit is not payable for any month in which the beneficiary works (1) for a railroad, or (2) for a social security employer and earns as much as $50. The railroad credits after 1936 of employees with less than 10 years of railroad service are transferred to the Social Security Administration when they retire or die. Also those of employees who die without having acquired an insured status for survivor benefit purposes under the Railroad Retirement Act are transferred to the Social Security Administration* j>/ Current Benefit Payments. At the end of December 1951, 264,000 retired employee families were receiving benefits. They constituted 6 4 percent of the 417,000 persons— retired employees, spouses, and survivors of deceased e m p l o y e e s - o n the monthly benefit rolls at that time* The average employee retirement annuity being paid on December 31, 1951, was $93*67; the average spouse's annuity was $39.72; the average widow's benefit was $39.24; and the average child's was $23.09. i / ji/ Railroad Retirement Board. 47 Public Retirement and Pension Systems Federal Civil Service Retirement System Since 1920, employees in the classified civil service and certain other groups of civilian employees have been covered b y the first Federal con tributory retirement system. This system, administered b y the Civil Service Commission, was broadened in 1942 to include most Federal employees not sub ject to another retirement system. In 1946, the provisions of the Civil Serv ice Retirement Act were extended to heads of executive departments and, on an optional basis, to members of the Congress. The coverage of this basic system was further broadened in 1947 to absorb employees previously covered under other separate systems. Through a 1950 amendment to the Social Security Act, many of the remaining Federal employees not serving under permanent appoint ments, and therefore not under civil service retirement, were brought under the old-age and survivors insurance system. In July 1951, there were 2.5 million Federal civilian employees, in cluding those working outside the continental United States. On June 30, 1951, the Civil Service Retirement System covered about 1.76 million persons. As of June 30, 1951, a total of 120,745 persons who had retired b y reason of age or length of service were receiving average monthly payments of $103. 6/ State and Local Government Systems Extension of the merit system in public employment and the 1920 en actment of a retirement program covering most Federal employees spurred the development of retirement planning for employees of State and local governments. B y 1950, every State had legislation providing State-wide retirement systems for teachers, most had systems for general State employees, and a majority provided State-wide systems for general employees of local governments. Among some 1,200 cities of more than 10,000 population, about two-thirds had retirement or pension plans covering all types of employees, and nearly 90 percent had plans which covered certain classes of employees. The total number of systems in ex istence is not known. The effectiveness of some of the State and local s y s t e m s ' has been hampered by the voluntary nature of coverage provisions. It is estimated that in the average month in 1950, about 2.6 million persons, or not quite two out of three State and local government employees, were covered b y retirement systems. At the end of the fiscal year 1950, about 213,000 retired employees of State and local governments were receiving age or service annuities. 7/ 6 7 U. S . C i v i l Service Commission. Unpublished report of December 1, 1951. 7/ Bureau of Old-Age and Survivors Insurance. Unpublished report of December 1, 1951. 48 Pension Flans in Private Industry Complete data are not available either on the total number of private pension plans in industry or the number of workers covered by such programs. However, the number of workers under those programs which are within the scope of collective bargaining agreements has been surveyed b y the Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Bureau*s latest survey as of mid-1950 revealed 5,123,000 workers were so covered. Table 26 gives a n industry-by-industry breakdown of this figure. Table 26,— Workers Covered by Pension Plans Under Collective Bargaining Agreements by Major Industry Groups, Mid-1950 Total covered Industry group Workers (thousands) Percent of total Total .......................... 5,123 100,0 Food and tobacco Textile, apparel, and leather ,,«,«•• Lumber and furniture Paper and allied products Printing and publishing Petroleum, chemicals, and rubber Metal products 1 / Stone, clay, and glass Mining and quarrying ,,,,,,...•••••«• Transportation, communications, and other public utilities 2 / ,,,,• Trade, finance, insurance, and services Unclassified «,,««««,«*,,«••«,.,««••• 87 654 14 140 17 361 2,011 66 466 1.7 12.8 .3 2.7 .3 7.0 39.3 1.3 9.1 1,024 20.0 71 212 1.4 1/ 2/ Includes steel, automobiles, and machinery, Excludes railroads. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employee-Benefit Plans Under Collective Bargaining, Mid-1950, Bulletin No. 1017, 49 EXTENT T O WHICH WORKERS ELIGIBLE FOR PENSIONS CONTINUE IN EMPLOYMENT The increase in the older population, and the growing gap — for in dividual workers — between their total life and work-life expectancy, are basic factors underlying the establishment and recent expansion of social se curity and private pension programs. At the same time, there is evidence that substantial numbers of workers have preferred continued employment as an alter native to retirement Tinder old-age insurance benefits which have been available to them in recent years. OASI Experience Of about 3 million workers who were eligible for old-age insurance benefits under the Social Security Act at the end of December 1950, about twofifths were not receiving such benefits. All but a small percentage of the latter group were workers who had either continued in covered employment or returned to work after age 65. The percent of all eligible workers of differ ent ages currently receiving old-age benefits as of December 1950 varied as follows: 8/ Percent of total Age 65-66 67-68 .......... .......... 69-70 ........... 70 and over .... 49 For the more than 300,000 persons awarded old-age benefits during 1950 (under the 1939 amendments of the Social Security Act) the average ages were 69.4 years for men and 68.7 years for women. About 35 percent of those awards in 1950 were to beneficiaries aged 70 or over. 2 / Studies by the Social Security Administration indicate that most peo ple work as long as they can and retire only because they are forced to do so. Special surveys of old-age insurance beneficiary retirements between 1940 and 1947 show that only about 5 percent of the men and women in those years left their jobs of their own accord, in good health, to enjoy a life of leisure. They also show that in given years from a fourth to a half of the beneficiaries 8 / Social Security Bulletin, September 1951j Annual Statistical Supplement, 1950. 2/ Social Security Administration, BOASI Analytical Note No. 62, June 15, 1951. 50 had some employment after their entitlement. Of the beneficiaries studied bet ween 1941 and 1949, those whose retirement incomes were lowest as a rule went back to work much more frequently than beneficiaries whose retirement incomes were more nearly adequate. The studies indicate that at least a fift h o f the men who became entitled to insurance benefits in any year might remain at work in their regular jobs i f their employers were w illing to keep them or might take comparable jobs with other employers i f their regular jobs were termi nated. 10/ Experience Under the Railroad Retirement Act An estimated 92,000 railroad employees aged 65 and over performed some railroad service in 1950, and they represented 4.5 percent of the total number o f employees of a ll ages in service. A- tota l of 203,000 former r a il road employees aged 65 and over were on the annuitant r o lls at the end o f 1950. The average age o f railroad workers awarded fu ll-age annuities during 1950 was 67.7 years, or almost 3 years above the age at which workers become e lig ib le for such annuities. The experience is particularly significant because the average monthly annuity being paid at the end o f 1950 was $82.75, considerably more than the average monthly benefit paid under the old-age and survivors in surance program. 11/ 10/ "Beneficiaries Prefer to Work" in Social Security Bulletin, January 1951, pp. 15-17 11/ Railroad Retirement Board, Annual Report, 1951. 51 JOB EXPERIENCE OF OLDER WORKERS Productivity S ta tistica l data are almost entirely lacking on the productivity o f older workers, compared with younger adult workers employed at the same tasks# Among other reasons, such data are d iffic u lt to obtain because comparison must be based on appreciably large numbers of workers in the same or similar jobs# For small groups, such comparisons would be influenced by great differences in individual work capacities# Absenteeism and Injury Experience A Bureau of Labor S tatistics study of work-injury and absenteeism ex perience by age indicates that in these respects older workers as a group fare rela tively w ell. Table 27 shows that industrial accident rates, on the average, were lower for workers 45 years and over than fo r younger workers, although, once injured, the d isa b ility of older workers lasted longer. Older workers were also absent less frequently, with the lowest absenteeism rates among workers 55-64 years o f age. A report o f this study o f the work records o f almost 18,000 employees in 109 plants representing a variety of manufacturing industries can be found in ••Absenteeism and Injury Experience o f Older Workers," published in the Monthly Labor Review, July 1948# T able 27#—-Work In ju r y and Absenteeism Rates i n M anufacturing In d u s tr ie s by Age Group, 1945 Disabling injuries Age group A ll age groups •••••••••• Under 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 l/ 2/ 2/ 20 ••••••#••••••••• ................................. ................................. ................................. ........... ..................... ................................. .................................. ................................. ................................. •«••«•••••••••••••• ................................. ................................. Absenteeism rate 2 / Frequency rate 1/ Average days of d isa b ility 9.7 14.7 3.4 (2/) 4.0 23.4 13.3 6.5 9.0 16,5 19.4 16.2 19.1 16.2 12.4 15.0 5.5 4.9 4.3 3.6 3.4 3.5 3.4 3.3 2.8 2.9 3.3 3.2 4.0 9.2 9.0 11.4 12.4 9.8 7.8 10.1 9.5 9.1 4.9 Per m illion hours worked# Number of days lo st per 100 workdays. Rate based on experience o f too small a group of workers to be significanto 52 Protective Clauses In C ollective Bargaining Agreements Of a total o f 2,425 collectiv e bargaining contracts analyzed by the Bureau o f Labor S tatistics, 247 contained seme sp ecific protective provision applying to older workers* In addition, nearly a ll the agreements included seniority provisions, which offer a substantial measure of protection to older employees in many industries by linking job security with length of service. The number and types of clauses protecting older workers in these 247 collectiv e bargaining agreements, some of which contained clauses fa llin g into more than one category, were: SEE® Humber Hiring clauses: (No age lim its; mandatory hiring of older workers; no discrimination far age, e tc .) Retention clauses: Special transfer to ligh t work ••••••• Pay and hours adjustments «••••••••••• Joint study of jobs far older workers •••••••••••••••••••••••• O ther................... 23 166 113 1 5 Absence o f a sp ecific "older worker" provision in a collective bar gaining agreement does not necessarily mean that an employer has no program fo r transferring or retraining workers who have grown old in the company*s service and who are no longer able to carry on their regular duties. It is known that such programs do exist on a formal or informal basis, but data are not available on their nature and extent. Age Limits in Hiring A number of studies in recent years have revealed that employers tend to retain older workers already on their payrolls, but many apply strict age lim its in hiring new workers. A study showing the extent of hiring restrictions based on age was conducted, during the fir s t 6 months o f 1950, by the Bureau of Employment Security in the Department of Labor in cooperation with the public employment services in fiv e States. Studies were made in Columbus, Ohio; Houston, Tex.; Lancaster, Pa.; Los Angeles, C a lif.; and New York City. These lo ca litie s rep resented small, medium-size, and large communities with labor market condi tions ranging from relatively high unemployment to virtually fu ll employment. The studies, covering a ll occupational and industrial groups, included anal ysis of over 13,000 job openings to reveal the pattern of hiring specifica tions as they relate to age requirements. 53 All loca l o ffice s participating in the study reported widespread application o f age restriction s in hiring, with 50 to 70 percent o f the em ployer orders fo r workers placed with the loca l o ffic e s , depending on the loca l area, carrying maximum age lim itations. The majority o f employers in a ll fie ld s o f work placed age restriction s below 35 on the hiring o f women, though they might consider men o f 45 or even 50. Contrasting with these re quirements is the fa ct that, in general, applicants 45 years o f age and over who register for work at public employment o ffice s constitute about one-third o f the applicants o f a ll ages. The study showed that age restriction s vary with the occupation, the industry, and even the lo ca lity in which the employer does his hiring* For example, an employer with openings in one occupation or Industry, such as re ta il specialty sales, may refuse to consider any worker over age 35, whereas another employer in the wholesale fie ld may be perfectly w illing to accept qualified workers o f 55 or even 60. In Lancaster, Pa., the construction in dustry regularly requested workers under 35j but in Houston, Tax., the same industry hired any worker capable o f performing, regardless o f age. Generally, employers relax age specifications when the labor supply becomes scarce. However, the common assumption that fu ll or expanding employ ment provides a complete solution to the older workers* d ifficu ltie s in find ing employment was, the Bureau o f Employment Security concluded, completely disproved by the study. Houston had had a tight labor market situation for a long time, yet 52 percent o f employers* orders in the loca l o ffic e carried age restriction s. In this city more than a third o f a ll women over 45 years o f age registered with the loca l o ffic e were cle rica l and sales workers. However, fou r-fifth s o f the employers’ orders for women in these occupational categories bore age restriction s below 35. In Columbus, where the labor market became stringent during the course o f the study, fou r-fifth s o f the orders were for workers under 45, and tw o-fifths called for workers under 35. Age lim its in hiring significan tly reduce the chances o f success o f older workers in competition fo r new employment. For instance, in Lan caster, the chances o f placement o f those over 45 were, on the average, onesixth as great as those for younger adult workers. In cle rica l and sales occupations, the comparable chances were less than a fourth and even in the skilled trades they were only half as great. In Houston and Columbus, the 54 same p a tte rn p r e v a ile d , in s p it e o f more s tr in g e n t la b o r m arkets. The odds a g a in s t th e o ld e r worker in h is search f o r new employment cause him t o under go much lo n g e r p e r io d s o f unemployment than th e younger w ork er. G en era lly , th e odds were g r e a te r a g a in s t women than a g a in s t men. In a l l the employment s e r v ic e stu dy l o c a l i t i e s , a c o n s id e r a b ly la r g e r p r o p o r tio n o f o ld e r than o f younger w orkers remained unemployed more than 20 w eeks. The R ole o f C ou nseling and Placement S e r v ic e s The stu dy by th e Bureau o f Employment S e c u r ity proved th a t cou n sel in g and placem ent s e r v ic e s a re o f s ig n i f i c a n t a s s is t a n c e t o o ld e r workers in t h e ir jo b s e e k in g . Many o ld e r w orkers must make a v o c a t io n a l change because o f t e c h n o lo g ic a l o r oth er changes in th e in d u stry in which th ey have gained most o f t h e ir e x p e r ie n c e . Employment co u n s e lin g h e lp e d such workers t o ana ly z e t h e ir employment h is t o r y , to i s o l a t e t h e ir sep a ra te s k i l l s , t o r e c o g n iz e r e la t io n s h ip s among s k i l l s , and t o see how v a rio u s com binations o f s k i l l s make i t p o s s ib le t o perform a number o f d i f f e r e n t j o b s . Another im portant s e r v ic e t o o ld e r w orkers c o n s is t e d o f g iv in g them p r a c t i c a l , im m ediately u s e fu l la b o r market in fo r m a tio n , and in p r o v id in g them w ith guidance in con d u ctin g an e f f e c t i v e jo b s e a rch . Development o f jo b o p p o r t u n itie s through in d iv id u a l jo b s o l i c i t a t i o n , where n e c e s s a r y , was o f g re a t v a lu e . I n te n s iv e , in d iv id u a liz e d s e r v ic e t o o ld e r w orkers in p u b lic em ployment s e r v ic e o f f i c e s during th e cou rse o f th e stu dy v a s t ly in cre a s e d t h e ir chances o f placem ent. The study in d ic a t e d th a t two t o th ree tim es as many o f th e o ld e r w orkers who r e c e iv e d s p e c ia l a s s is t a n c e cou ld be p la ced by th e l o c a l o f f i c e s , compared w ith a p p lic a n ts o f th e same ages who r e c e iv e d o n ly th e serv i c e s o r d in a r ily a v a ila b le t o them. 55 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LA I THESE SERVICES HELP TO... • Promote individual well-being • Decrease involuntary dependency • Raise standards of living • Conserve training resources and needed skills • Increase national production PERTINENT PUBLICATIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR The following publications o f the United States Department o f Labor present facts relating to the employment and economic status o f older men and women. BUREAU OF EMPLOYMENT SECURITY Live Longer and Like I t . in Employment Security Review, April 1951 • Older Workers Seek Jobsf August 1951* Workers Are Young Longer. June 1952• BUREAU OF LABOR STANDARDS The Influence of Age on Industrial Accidents, in Proceedings of the Presidents Conference on Industrial Safety, March 1949* Bulletin No. 112. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS Absenteeism and Injury Experience o f Older Workers.in Monthly Labor Review, July 1948. Also reprinted as Serial No. R. 1928. ^Budget for an Elderly Couple: Estimated Cost. October 1950. in Monthly Labor Review, September 1951. Also reprinted as Serial No. R. 2059* 5 cents. 57 Digest of Selected Health. Insurance. Welfare and Retirement Plana Under Collective Bargaining. Mld-1930. August 1951* Special Series Re. 6. ♦Bwilfwwe Benefit Plans Bader Collective Bargaining. Mlri-.1Q50. Bulletin No* 1017* 15 cents* aml«wneent and Economic Status of Older Men and Women. May 1952* Manpower Report No. 14 — Project.^ Manpower Requirements and Supply. 1952-53. January 1952. ♦Occupational Outlook Handbook — - 1951 Edition. Bulletin Mo. 998. 13.00. ♦Tables of Marking Life — Length of Working life for Men. August 1950. Bulletin No. 1001. 40 cents. WOMEN'S BUREAU Hiring Older Women — - Suggestions to E t e > T . Older Women in the Labor Force. Older Women* a leaflet. 6 pp. of graphic charts. Sons Aspects of Their lamin-w e n t Problems. ♦Part-Tiee Job* for Women. Bulletin No. 238. 25 cents. Publications narked with an asterisk (♦) can bepurchased, at the price indicated, from the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D. C. Other publications nay be obtained free, as. long as the supply lasts, by writing to the issuing Bureau, U. S. Department of Labor, Washington 25, D. C. The picture is a photograph of a 7-foot single panel exhibit which is available for use by conference and other groups. Requests, stating the sponsor, time, and place of the conference, should bo sent a month In advance tot U. S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington 25, D.,C. 58 ☆ U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE :O — 1952 Monthly y w Labor Review tim e ly d e v e lo p m e n ts a ffe ctin g all w o rk e r s — in clu d in g the o ld e r m en a n d w o m e n w h o s e status is discussed in this bulletin. ot6&t feuilicatian consistently (ie le i covens ia 6 o % tfo lik e entire t6 & ^ R e v ie w EACH MONTH THE REVIEW CARRIES: e A r t ic le s e F a c tu a l, e S u m m a r ie s e C o m p r e h e n s iv e B ook e 5 0 -P a g e S ta tis tic s e S p e c ia l on L abor In fo r m e d of P r o b le m s R e p o r tin g D e c is io n s L abor and on of Labor L abor Labor R e v ie w E c o n o m ic s E v en ts Law D ep a rtm en t S e c tio n F ea tu res To: Superintendent of Documents Government Printing Office Washington 25, D. C. FORUSEOFSUPT, DOCS. Enclosed find $ (cash, check, or money order). □ subscriptions to the MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW 0 $6,25 per year, ($7,75 for foreign mailing,) □ copies of the______________________ issue at 55 cents each, fMoatk, Tear) Name S t r e e t a d d re s s C it y , Zone and S t a t e UNITED STATES Bureau of DEPARTMENT Labor OF LABOR Statistics
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