Age discrimination legislation and the employment of older workers

Using state variation in age discrimination legislation from the 1960s, I present estimates that imply laws increase employment among individuals in protected age ranges. Among older workers that are above age ranges covered by laws, however, employment declines. Estimates also show that there is a decrease in retirement among the protected workers. On the other hand, no evidence is presented that suggests older workers are more likely to be hired as a result of the legislation. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.