Job Market for Older Workers as Retirement Recedes and Robots Do More Work (OWRR)

The OWRR project will examine the link between the increased employment/postponement of retirement by workers aged 55-64 and 65 and older (“older workers”) and shifts in the demand for these workers associated with the changing composition of industries and expansion of software program and robotic substitutes for workers. It will examine differences in employment and earnings of older workers by gender, education, health status, and income, and by industry, occupation, and firm to determine the effects of the new pattern of work/retirement on worker well-being and the likelihood the changed pattern will continue as younger cohorts.

The project will link longitudinal data on workers in the LEHD, Census employer surveys, and additional other data sets to provide information on the vast bulk of older US workers. It will develop new data on the introduction of robots and software programs that automate work. It will hold two workshops at which researchers will present their work and conclude with a final conference. Researchers will meet with groups concerned about employment of older workers: company HR departments; professional associations and unions; representatives of retirees, and with academic and business experts who develop robotics and software likely to impact jobs.