Older workers aren’t retiring. Should they be forced to?

The trend of older workers remaining in the workforce longer has sparked a debate over career mobility and economic necessity. Younger professionals often feel blocked from advancement by senior colleagues who occupy high-paying, influential positions. Law professor Samuel Moyn advocates for mandatory retirement ages in specific sectors to prevent the hoarding of power and facilitate succession for younger generations. Conversely, economist Olivia S. Mitchell rejects this approach, citing the "lump of labor fallacy"—the mistaken belief that there is a fixed number of jobs—and argues that older workers drive economic growth and tax revenue. As traditional pensions disappear and life expectancy rises, the tension between the desire for upward mobility and the financial reality of needing to work longer remains a defining challenge of the modern labor market.