February 2007
Vol. 8, no. 2

Since they entered the scene, baby boomers have been shaping social and economic structures. Now on the cusp of retirement, they may once again force change on the labour market. Many aspire and can afford to retire relatively young, raising concerns about labour supply and public pension programs. But increasing longevity in good health may persuade some to extend their working life. Trends in pension uptake between ages 50 and 60 and post-pension employment during the 1990s and the first part of this decade offer some clues as to the direction baby boomers may take.

Defining retirement
Geoff Bowlby

Even though the retirement wave will have significant labour market consequences over the next 20 years, no regular statistics are produced on retirement or the retired. Part of the problem stems from lack of clear definitions. For some, retirement means complete withdrawal from the labour force while for others it entails part- or even full-time work. The article examines the challenges faced by statistical organizations in measuring retirement and offers several recommendations to inform a discussion for arriving at international standards.

Errata: Personal debt, January 2007
Incorrect numbers were used for three charts. The corrected charts and accompanying text have been inserted in the documents. HTML | PDF

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