Science Resources Statistics

Mandatory retirement in postsecondary educational institutions ended in 1994. In this paper, exami-nation of retirements in 1993 (just before the end of this practice) and again 10 years later shows that by 2003, the age distribution of doctoral scientists and engineers working in postsecondary institutions had shifted, with a larger proportion being older than 56 years of age, compared with 1993. However, this is not solely due to changes in the propensity of the older age groups to retire. Retirement among scientists and engineers with doctor-al degrees has important consequences for the science, engineering, and health (SEH) labor force. Retirements can mean loss of significant amounts of human capital, depleting an organization’s ability to carry out its work; however, retirement of older individuals opens oppor