A study commissioned by the National Institute on Aging and compiled by the Census Bureau has found that senior citizens are leaving the labor force sooner than they did 50 years ago, even though they are living longer, healthier lives. The report shows that fewer than one in five men 65 and older were part of the labor force in 2003. In 1950, nearly half the men that age were still working.
See "Older Americans Working Less, Study Finds", Associated Press, The New York Times, March 8, 2006