Early Labor-Force Withdrawal of Men: Participants and Nonparticipants Aged 58–63

Who is out of the labor force early: the unhealthy or the healthy; the @.urwially fortunate or the u* fortunate? To answer these and other questions about retzrement in the United states, personal interviezc-a toere conducted in 1969 with &.lSS men representing the noninstitutionalized populattin aged 5S-6.9 The interviews revealed that 17 percent of the men were out of the labor force at the time of the interview. Over half of these “ltonparG.&pants” had been &thout work 3 year8 or longer. Hoat men out of the labor force cited poor health aa the reason for leaving their 2ast regular job. Health-imposed work limitatio~a, education, occupational background, and race were all related to labor-force participation, but health appeared to be the underlying factor. Nonparticipants tended to have lower incomes and fewer assets than participants in the labor force.