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Older workers are delaying retirement. Does that mean fewer opportunities for younger people?

WBUR

Published August 17, 2026 at 12:07 PM EDT

Older workers are delaying retirement more and more. Some can’t afford to stop working. Others just love the job. But it’s also causing younger workers to wonder if they’re missing out on job advancement because delayed retirement means senior roles don’t open up for rising employees. Is this true?

Sarah Gonzalez with NPR’s Planet Money tries to untangle it and considers the impacts past policies around retirement ages.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.