How Do Job Skills That Decline With Age Affect White-Collar Workers?

As people age, their reaction times slow, flexibility
diminishes, and strength declines. These changes in
physical and sensory abilities are easy to spot. Thus,
research on retirement timing assumes that people
in blue-collar jobs, which often rely on these abilities,
will retire relatively early. Conversely, researchers
often assume that white-collar workers can retire
later. But the cognitive abilities needed for many
white-collar jobs, like memory and mental speed, also
decline with age. And some white-collar jobs also rely
on physical or sensory abilities – for example, oral
surgeons must have dexterous fingers, steady hands,
and excellent eyesight. These observations raise an
obvious question: can all white-collar workers remain
productive well into their sixties and, if not, which
jobs are most vulnerable to age-related decline?