Aging , fob Performance , and Career Development

One implication of the changing demo_ graphic composition of the Unltea States population is that the number of older workers wil l increase dramatically in com_ ing years in both absolute and relative terms. Particularly in l ight of the virtual climination of mandatory retirement ages in the United States, questions wil l ln_ cvitably arise regarding the productivity of older workers. Although in recent decades the trend has been towarcl retirement at carlier ages, this pattern may not conttnue rf the large baby boom cohort is confronted r.vith the possibility of reduced or delaved bcnefits, and if concerns about financial security lead to decisions to postpone retirement. Interest in relation, b.t*."o aging and work behavior will therefore al_ rnost certainly grow in importance in the next several decades. Because of space limitations, the focus rn th is chapter is rest r ic ted to two maior ropics concerned wi th aging and work. Al_ though there are obviously many aspects of work behavior that could be addressed. the two emphasized here are job perfor_ lnance and career development. Iob perfor_ rnance is clearly a fundamental topic in