“Among older workers*, 74 percent are wage/salaried workers, 17 percent are self-employed independents, and 9 percent are owners of small businesses.” (Figure 3, p.4)

* The authors define “older workers” as those “who were 50 or more years old in 2002. They represent the leading edge of the Baby Boomer Generation, who are turning 60 in 2006.”

Bond, T. J., Galinsky, M. E., Pitt-Catsouphes, M., & Smyer, M. A. (2005). The diverse employment experiences of older men and women in the workforce. (Research Highlight 02). Chestnut Hill, MA: Center on Aging & Work/Workplace Flexibility. Retrieved October 25, 2007 from http://agingandwork.bc.edu/documents/RH02_DiverseEmployExper.pdf

“This report is the second in a series of Research Highlights published by the Center on Aging & Work/Workplace Flexibility in collaboration with the Families and Work Institute. These Research Highlights present the findings of in-depth analyses of the Families and Work Institute’s 2002 National Study of the Changing Workforce (NSCW). This report compares and contrasts the experiences of men and women, 50 and older, in the U.S. workforce. Gender is an important lens for examining the employment experiences of older workers, in part because the work and family histories of men and women tend to vary across the course of their lives…The National Study of the Changing Workforce (NSCW) is conducted every five years. It surveys large samples of the U.S. workforce to collect information about both the work and personal lives of U.S. workers.”