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ECONOMIC REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT

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esults suggest that, to a first approximation, more emphasis should be<br />

placed on contemporaneous estimates of employment growth than on<br />

contemporaneous estimates of output growth when attempting to assess<br />

the overall current state of the U.S. economy.<br />

Box 2-5: The Economics of Aging<br />

The growth of the working-age population (15-64 year olds) in the<br />

United States has been slowing notably, which puts downward pressure<br />

on labor force participation, productivity, and real GDP growth. The<br />

working-age population grew 1.4 percent at an annual rate in the 1960s<br />

through the 1980s, but just 0.6 percent during this recovery. The decline<br />

in the growth rate of the working-age population is expected to continue<br />

through 2028 (Figure 2-vi). As the working-age population growth rate<br />

falls relative to the growth rate of other age groups, it follows that the<br />

working-age share of the population should fall as well. Between 2008<br />

and 2015, the share declined from 67.3 percent to 66.3 percent (averaging<br />

-0.15 percentage point per year). The working-age share is expected<br />

to fall at an increasing rate through 2029, reflecting a growing share of<br />

the elderly population (65+). The only age group that is projected to<br />

Figure 2-vi<br />

Growth Rate of Working-Age Population, 1950–2070<br />

Percent, Annual Rate<br />

1.8<br />

1.5<br />

1.2<br />

0.9<br />

0.6<br />

0.3<br />

2070<br />

0.0<br />

-0.3<br />

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060 2070<br />

Source: United Nations World Population Prospects; CEA calculations<br />

The Year in Review and the Years Ahead | 91

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