5 ms·

U.S. Labor Force 75 and Older Expected to Grow 96.5 Percent by 2030

29 points by infodocket 5y ago

gbronner 5y ago
I work with a 75 year olds who is on the road 100+ days each year. He's happy, company is happy, and the job isn't very physically demanding. This will become more common
- lovich 5y ago
  On the road 100+ days a year isn’t physically demanding for someone over 75?
  - kwere 5y ago
    and dangerous for us?
    - sokoloff 5y ago
      “On the road” could easily mean (and IMO most commonly means) flying from their home city to a client site or sites. Even if driving, most 75 year olds are competent to drive and especially those still capable to work a travel job.
      - lovich 5y ago
        Flying 100+ days a year isn’t physically demanding for someone over 75?
        sokoloff 5y ago
        These are airliners not tactical jets. An airport isn’t dramatically different from an office building in terms of physical demand. Being at a client site 100 days could be 50 flights if you’re on a typical Mon-Thurs consulting schedule and home every weekend. Flying that often, you learn how to make it easier. For out Sunday back Thursday night trips, I can travel in a backpack if I have to but usually used a 15-pound roller bag. Hardly the stuff of special forces and less strenuous than a round of golf, which plenty of 75 year olds do. My in-laws are ~75. If you looked at them or watched them play one of their 100+ rounds of golf (walking) a year, you’d probably guess they were early 60s.
  - SamReidHughes 5y ago
    A lot of 75 year olds play golf, and walk the course, 160+ days each year.
  - lovich 5y ago
    I asked this question in what I assumed would be transparent sarcasm. It’s apparent that I need to point out that this is a sub aimed towards ambitious people chasing their dream business/job/hobby/dream/interest/etc. There might be a bias here towards thinking a strenuous job is normal, just because we might take in that level of stress voluntarily
- vbg 5y ago
  “Has the appearance of being happy.”
  - ApolloFortyNine 5y ago
    A lot of people get to retirement and simply don't know what to do with all the free time. Work the same job for 40 years, and a lot of people will start to enjoy it (or did the whole time) and will retire only when forced to.
    - sschueller 5y ago
      I wonder if this is more common in the US where the separation between work and free time is quite blurred. It's seems like you are always working and expect to be always available. Vacations are also minimal.
alexfromapex 5y ago
Is this voluntary or based on necessity?
- beckler 5y ago
  I think it's a mixed bag. My parents are divorced, but are on the opposite ends of the spectrum here. My mother is extremely ambitious in her career, and maximizes out her retirement contributions every year. My father is quite the opposite, and I don't think he's made any plans when it comes to handling retirement.
- Darmody 5y ago
  To be honest I don't want to stop working. I think once you stop working you start dying. I wouldn't like a survival job at that age, that'd be hell, but working for myself even if it's taking care of a small farm or anything that keeps you busy and gives you the chance to solve daily problems. Sitting on a bench after retiring until I die is not an option.
  - imtringued 5y ago
    You start dying the moment you are born.
vbg 5y ago
I can tell you for sure I would not being happy if I had no choice to be working at 70, 75 or even 66.
- romwell 5y ago
  Eh, how about also not having a choice to work at any age before that? Why is giving 5 out of 7 days to work pretty much every week the norm? There are so many worthwhile pursuits other than being a business owner or an employee. However, even people who save up enough to take a break will face many obstacles - like having to explain "experience gap", as if being able to do what you want requires justification.
  - WhisperingShiba 5y ago
    Its because of all the goofballs who 'manage property' for a living, and let their surfs produce all of the luxury goods they wish to consume all day for the rest of their lives. Vegetables, clothing, and water and power are CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP to DIY. Housing is also pretty simple, although it may take a while to make it nice. Good places to live are available, but you need enough educatedpeople to want to take the risk outside of society with you. The biggest obstacle to attaining a better life for most people is breaking the construct of 'I'm going to be THE ONE' hyperstition that Capitalism engenders.
    - CapricornNoble 5y ago
      >>>Vegetables, clothing, and water and power are CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP to DIY. DIY gardens/potable water/solar can easily create high-quality outputs, equivalent to the best available anywhere else. DIY clothing? Yeah, I don't think most DIYers can produce anti-microbial, moisture-wicking, flame-resistant, form-fitting-yet-maneuverable tactical shirts. https://www.first-spear.com/the-asset-technical-field-shirt?childSku=500-14-00039-001-02 https://www.first-spear.com/the-asset-technical-field-shirt?... >>>The biggest obstacle to attaining a better life for most people is breaking the construct of 'I'm going to be THE ONE' hyperstition that Capitalism engenders. Is that capitalism, or just human nature? Every warlord/general EVER who overthrew a head of state in the past 4,000 years of recorded history just KNEW he deserved to be "The One". Unlike the commoners of the time, only a handful of people had the military power necessary to "make it big". Now, almost anyone can accumulate economic power to live like a king.
Nasrudith 5y ago
They are listing projections which aren't worth the paper they are written on. Predictions made in 2019 before the pandemic. Guess what dropped sharply during the pandemic? Elderly workforce partcipation rates when the risk of occupational infections became obvious. The unanticipated events pretty much make it worthless even before. Given current trends if it winds up true it will likely be due to different reasons such as paying enough that seniors start to consider it worth their time. Also shame on the classic sensationalist "uncontextualized percentage increase" sleaze emphasis on changes to comparatively very small numbers.
tromp 5y ago
They might as well say "expected to double in size". I don't believe there's any significance to that 0.5% on top of a 96% that must already be pretty imprecise.
forinti 5y ago
At that age your body will decide if can keep on going. It's not really a personal decision. Having said that, I think we could structure work so that older people could work fewer hours, if they want to.
- imtringued 5y ago
  We should structure work so that everyone can work as much or as little as they want to.

29 points by infodocket 5y ago

I work with a 75 year olds who is on the road 100+ days each year. He's happy, company is happy, and the job isn't very physically demanding. This will become more common

lovich 5y ago
On the road 100+ days a year isn’t physically demanding for someone over 75?
- kwere 5y ago
  and dangerous for us?
  - sokoloff 5y ago
    “On the road” could easily mean (and IMO most commonly means) flying from their home city to a client site or sites. Even if driving, most 75 year olds are competent to drive and especially those still capable to work a travel job.
    - lovich 5y ago
      Flying 100+ days a year isn’t physically demanding for someone over 75?
      - sokoloff 5y ago
        These are airliners not tactical jets. An airport isn’t dramatically different from an office building in terms of physical demand. Being at a client site 100 days could be 50 flights if you’re on a typical Mon-Thurs consulting schedule and home every weekend. Flying that often, you learn how to make it easier. For out Sunday back Thursday night trips, I can travel in a backpack if I have to but usually used a 15-pound roller bag. Hardly the stuff of special forces and less strenuous than a round of golf, which plenty of 75 year olds do. My in-laws are ~75. If you looked at them or watched them play one of their 100+ rounds of golf (walking) a year, you’d probably guess they were early 60s.
- SamReidHughes 5y ago
  A lot of 75 year olds play golf, and walk the course, 160+ days each year.
- lovich 5y ago
  I asked this question in what I assumed would be transparent sarcasm. It’s apparent that I need to point out that this is a sub aimed towards ambitious people chasing their dream business/job/hobby/dream/interest/etc. There might be a bias here towards thinking a strenuous job is normal, just because we might take in that level of stress voluntarily
vbg 5y ago
“Has the appearance of being happy.”
- ApolloFortyNine 5y ago
  A lot of people get to retirement and simply don't know what to do with all the free time. Work the same job for 40 years, and a lot of people will start to enjoy it (or did the whole time) and will retire only when forced to.
  - sschueller 5y ago
    I wonder if this is more common in the US where the separation between work and free time is quite blurred. It's seems like you are always working and expect to be always available. Vacations are also minimal.

alexfromapex 5y ago

Is this voluntary or based on necessity?

beckler 5y ago
I think it's a mixed bag. My parents are divorced, but are on the opposite ends of the spectrum here. My mother is extremely ambitious in her career, and maximizes out her retirement contributions every year. My father is quite the opposite, and I don't think he's made any plans when it comes to handling retirement.
Darmody 5y ago
To be honest I don't want to stop working. I think once you stop working you start dying. I wouldn't like a survival job at that age, that'd be hell, but working for myself even if it's taking care of a small farm or anything that keeps you busy and gives you the chance to solve daily problems. Sitting on a bench after retiring until I die is not an option.
- imtringued 5y ago
  You start dying the moment you are born.

vbg 5y ago

I can tell you for sure I would not being happy if I had no choice to be working at 70, 75 or even 66.

romwell 5y ago
Eh, how about also not having a choice to work at any age before that? Why is giving 5 out of 7 days to work pretty much every week the norm? There are so many worthwhile pursuits other than being a business owner or an employee. However, even people who save up enough to take a break will face many obstacles - like having to explain "experience gap", as if being able to do what you want requires justification.
- WhisperingShiba 5y ago
  Its because of all the goofballs who 'manage property' for a living, and let their surfs produce all of the luxury goods they wish to consume all day for the rest of their lives. Vegetables, clothing, and water and power are CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP to DIY. Housing is also pretty simple, although it may take a while to make it nice. Good places to live are available, but you need enough educatedpeople to want to take the risk outside of society with you. The biggest obstacle to attaining a better life for most people is breaking the construct of 'I'm going to be THE ONE' hyperstition that Capitalism engenders.
  - CapricornNoble 5y ago
    >>>Vegetables, clothing, and water and power are CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP to DIY. DIY gardens/potable water/solar can easily create high-quality outputs, equivalent to the best available anywhere else. DIY clothing? Yeah, I don't think most DIYers can produce anti-microbial, moisture-wicking, flame-resistant, form-fitting-yet-maneuverable tactical shirts. https://www.first-spear.com/the-asset-technical-field-shirt?childSku=500-14-00039-001-02 https://www.first-spear.com/the-asset-technical-field-shirt?... >>>The biggest obstacle to attaining a better life for most people is breaking the construct of 'I'm going to be THE ONE' hyperstition that Capitalism engenders. Is that capitalism, or just human nature? Every warlord/general EVER who overthrew a head of state in the past 4,000 years of recorded history just KNEW he deserved to be "The One". Unlike the commoners of the time, only a handful of people had the military power necessary to "make it big". Now, almost anyone can accumulate economic power to live like a king.

Nasrudith 5y ago

They are listing projections which aren't worth the paper they are written on. Predictions made in 2019 before the pandemic. Guess what dropped sharply during the pandemic? Elderly workforce partcipation rates when the risk of occupational infections became obvious. The unanticipated events pretty much make it worthless even before. Given current trends if it winds up true it will likely be due to different reasons such as paying enough that seniors start to consider it worth their time. Also shame on the classic sensationalist "uncontextualized percentage increase" sleaze emphasis on changes to comparatively very small numbers.

tromp 5y ago

They might as well say "expected to double in size". I don't believe there's any significance to that 0.5% on top of a 96% that must already be pretty imprecise.

forinti 5y ago

At that age your body will decide if can keep on going. It's not really a personal decision. Having said that, I think we could structure work so that older people could work fewer hours, if they want to.

imtringued 5y ago
We should structure work so that everyone can work as much or as little as they want to.