Past and future development as well as possibilities for influencing the
process of retirement are discussed, in particular effects on the labour
market (supply and demand, behaviour of workers and firms, concerning
human resource management and occupational pensions), financing of
social security and income of workers. Decisions concerning earlier or
postponed, full or partial retirement are the main topic stressing the
central role of firms' decisions depending e.g. on their view of the
productivity of the elderly. Reports on Scandinavian countries (Sweden,
Denmark, Finland) in particular on their approach for partial retirement
are included as well as papers discussing possibilities to stop the
trend of early exit from the labour force and how to give incentives for
a longer working life (e.g. by changes in social security). These topics
are discussed in the view of structural changes in demography, economy
and society, using - among other - the US and West Germany as examples.
The papers point out the necessity to look at retirement as a process
(in a life cycle perspective, requiring longitudinal data for empirical
research) and in a perspective integrating the different aspects
involved.