This ROW initiation proposal is to investigate how economic factors, family structure, and labor market structure shape the employment and wage profiles of employed older Americans. This research will provide information important to older adult economic well-being and has implications for the potential shortage of skilled labor during the early years of the 21st century. Specific aims of the research are: 1) To identify sources of change in the age composition of occupations in the total labor force and sources of change in the gender and labor supply composition of occupations in the labor force aged 55 and over; 2) To identify determinants of wages and labor supply in the older labor force as additive and interactive functions of individual characteristics, receipt of non-wage income, family structure, and trends in the industrial structure of the labor market; 3) To determine whether change in the industrial structure offsets effects of non-wage income on the labor supply from older employed adults; 4) To identify how family structure conditions labor market outcomes among older employed adults; 5) To evaluate the differential effects of change in industrial structure on employment profiles of youth and older adults. Census data and Current population Survey data for 1960, 1970, 1980, and 1989 will be analyzed. Shift share analysis and least squares regression methods will be used.
