The International Social Security (ISS) project began in the mid-1990s, against a backdrop of decades of decline in older men’s work and the growth of public pension programs in many developed countries. As it turns out, the launch of the ISS project coincided with the end of the century-long decline in men’s labor force participation. Not only was the declining trend arrested, but the employment rates rose tremendously in many countries. Why did so many countries experience a substantial increase in men’s labor force participation at this particular time, following a century of earlier withdr ... More

The International Social Security (ISS) project began in the mid-1990s, against a backdrop of decades of decline in older men’s work and the growth of public pension programs in many developed countries. As it turns out, the launch of the ISS project coincided with the end of the century-long decline in men’s labor force participation. Not only was the declining trend arrested, but the employment rates rose tremendously in many countries. Why did so many countries experience a substantial increase in men’s labor force participation at this particular time, following a century of earlier withdrawal from the labor force? Why was the increase larger in some countries than others? If the turnaround in labor supply was driven by demographic or global economic trends, then any one country’s direct policy choices will change little. However, if policy changes around social security programs have contributed significantly to the turnaround in labor force participation, then further direct policy measures might affect the length of work lives. We examine these questions by documenting the changes in labor force participation and employment of older men and women from 1980 to the present and exploring the factors that may have contributed to these changes. The book is organized around 12 individual country chapters structured on a common template, using primarily descriptive methods, as we examine trends over time in labor supply and in those factors that may affect it.