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. 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.