Unfinished Work: The Struggle to Build an Aging American Workforce

by Joseph Coleman

Overview

The era of the aging worker is here. The forces driving the first decades of the 21st century — globalization, technology, societal aging, and jarring economic instability — have made later retirement a necessity for many, but those who choose to stay in the workforce are frustrated by a job market that fails to take advantage of their talents. As government's ability to finance retirement and health care declines, making space for older workers in the labor force has emerged as a chief challenge for the coming century.

Veteran international correspondent Joseph Coleman spent three years traveling to various places in Japan, France, Sweden, and across the United States to profile this aging global workforce. From the rice paddies of Japan to the heart of the American rust-belt, Coleman takes readers inside the lives of older workers. Clear-eyed portraits of individuals illuminate the aging of the world labor force and introduce readers to the factories, offices, and fields where older workers toil and the societies in which they live.

Unfinished Work explores a world in the midst of a revolution that will have far-reaching consequences for present and coming generations. Coleman maps out the problems we confront, shows us avenues forward, and illustrates the dangers of inaction. The engaging narrative reveals how accommodating our aging workforce can usher in humane policies that benefit workers across the spectrum of age. Improving conditions for older workers is critical for ensuring success and prosperity for society as a whole for years to come.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199974450
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	02/02/2015
Pages:	258
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Joseph Coleman has been a journalist for more than two decades, spending most of that time as a foreign correspondent for Associated Press, including 11 years in Japan. He's reported from more than 20 countries throughout Asia, Europe, and Latin America, covering stories ranging from the Colombian government's battle with the Medellin drug cartel to the Kobe earthquake, the Asian tsunami, and global warming. A graduate of Vassar College and Columbia University, Coleman is the Roy W. Howard Professor of Practice in the Indiana University Media School.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1:
Tsuneko Hariki and the Rich World's Coming of Age

CHAPTER 2:
Embracing the Silver Workforce

CHAPTER 3:
The Fisherwoman of Akron

CHAPTER 4
Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out)

CHAPTER 5
The Swedish Way

CHAPTER 6
The Hammer Men

CHAPTER 7
The Old Continent Gets Older

CHAPTER 8
Proteans in Paradise

EPILOGUE
Galapagos: Islands of the Old

Editorial Reviews

"Unfinished Work is a jewel of insightful reporting that illuminates the human heart of the global economy. In a sweeping narrative that takes the reader from a mountain village in Japan to unemployment lines in the U.S., Joseph Coleman shows us the dignity and desperation of older workers, doing their best to survive and lead lives of purpose and meaning in a world that is rushing to leave them behind. It's a beautiful, urgent book that raises crucial questions about our future, both as countries and as individuals." —Thomas French, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of Zoo Story: Life in the Garden of Captives

"The storytelling is engrossing, the character studies wonderfully rich, the information solid, and the writing superb. Coleman has produced an enjoyable, important, highly readable report from our future." —Charles Hanley, Special Correspondent at the Associated Press, winner of the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting, and author of The Bridge at No Gun Ri

"Joseph Coleman presents a creative and informative approach to later life work in Unfinished Work. Using international examples, there are engaging representations of challenging employment situations and outcomes. Major theories, policies, and authorities are worked into the text in interesting ways. Profiles of real workers, company practices, and programs are relevant and impactful." —Harvey L. Sterns, Ph.D. Director, Institute for Life-Span Development and Gerontology, The University of Akron

"A significant and timely contribution to the field. Joseph Coleman demonstrates great skill in guiding the reader through the complexities of the issues, from the need to re-fashion work for ageing societies that devalue age, to how older workers who are at the vanguard of modern employment practices may be treated as anachronisms, to the emergence of innovative public and employer policies against a background of a profound reconfiguration of economies which may limit their effectiveness. Informative and often inspiring, Unfinished Work is recommended as an invaluable resource for scholars, public policymakers and practitioners internationally." —Philip Taylor, Professor of Human Resource Management, Federation University Australia

From the Publisher

2014-11-20
Despite reports of the impending cognitive impairment awaiting fearful seniors, not all our elders are dotty. Valuable corporate memory, knowledge and experience are lost with premature retirements, as journalist Coleman demonstrates.Until the definition of "old" is revised, the number of old folk increases dramatically, according to all the demographics. The cadre of baby boomers who are destined to be declared redundant at work will know disappointment and humiliation as they become unemployed. The author visits the alert elderly who want to, need to or seek to work in diverse precincts around the globe. In Japan, where there is a pronounced work ethic, Coleman finds old ladies who package leaves for garnish in restaurants and old artisans who fashion bullet-train prows by hand and can even hammer violins out of metal. Workers in France, where there's a different work ethic, are more laid-back. Their supposed infatuation with long vacations and early retirement is producing a real shortage of experienced labor. Sweden, on the other hand, has an age management network and programs for out-placement and counseling. In La Jolla, California, Scripps Hospital offers its older staff the option of staged retirement. In the Midwest, it's a more difficult road, but in Sarasota, where there are lots of wealthy retirees, they desire a rewarding, "protean" retirement. Coleman's text is rife with interviews with experts and gurus and quick answers from think-tankers and self-help coaches. More effective is the author's inclusion of input from superannuated workers who seek some income and a sense of participation in the world. As the author notes, the Great Recession has made the matter of an aging workforce urgent; career services should have a high priority for government; businesses should do better in profiting from the talents; and individuals need to prepare early for longer working lives. A resonant restatement of inherent mistakes in our treatment of a workforce that is growing older.

Kirkus Reviews