Unfinished work : the struggle to build an aging American workforce This book examines the aging of the workforce in the advanced economies of North America Europe and East Asia the premise of this book is that we can do better The forces driving the first decades of the 21st century globalization technology and unprecedented wealth mixed with jarring economic instability are pushing the day of retirement later and later in life. The era of the aging worker is here. From the rice paddies of Japan to the heart of the American rust belt veteran international correspondent Joseph Coleman takes readers inside the lives of aging workers exploring the factories offices and fields where they toil and the societies in which they live giving the reader a front row seat to the global older worker revolution. Profiles of individuals bring to life Colemans exploration of how the United States along with many countries around the world deal with the rise of aging workforces. Throughout these stories the author gives advice on how societies can best benefit from and assist their increasingly older population. Readers will come to know: Michel Wattree a retired French trucker who has found a second life as an elementary school bus driver and still nurses dreams of driving Americas storied Route 66. The aging crew of Japans Yamashita Kogyosho where for half a century they have crafted the worlds fastest trains with their bare hands and hammers exemplifies Japans adaptive employment strategies that have helped the country deal with one of the oldest demographic compositions in the world. Rita Hall an unemployed hospital worker from Akron Ohio who hopes that a job training program will save her from spending the rest of her golden years in poverty a fear shared by many who will far outlive their retirement savings. Amidst the stories of how these works are working hard to adapt Unfinished Work probes the struggles of companies either unable or unwilling to accommodate the aging of their workforces and the quandaries of governments and policymakers eager to control pension pay outs to retiring boomers yet unsure how to keep them on the job. What emerges is a compassionate but clear eyed portrait of a world in the midst of a slow motion aging revolution that will have vast consequences for present and coming generations