Rising U.S. income inequality is pushing more high-income workers above Social Security’s payroll tax cap and shrinking the share of all workers’ earnings subject to this tax. Trade with China is driving up inequality, which is one part of the reason for the drop in the taxable share of earnings.
When mothers take a hiatus from work for childrearing, it can affect their Social Security earnings history. Learn how much mothers lose when they drop out of the labor force to raise children.
Cognitive aging could hinder productivity by reducing the brain’s processing ability (“fluid” intelligence). But research shows that productivity generally does not decline with age. Only a minority of workers are vulnerable: those in jobs that require very high levels of fluid intelligence and those who experience cognitive impairment.
Job-changers over age 50 increasingly end up in “old-person” jobs, with a high share of older hires relative to prime-age hires. New research finds the overall outlook has improved since the late 1990s for all groups, particularly for older women with more education.
Working longer can boost retirement security. To what extent does this prescription fit for all workers? New research explores how life expectancy differs by education level and the implications for longer worklives.
Original music by Zack Lober.
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