As baby boomers age, so does the U.S. labor force. In the late 1970s, for example, the U.S. labor force’s median age was 35 years. Last year, according to data compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median age was 42.1 years—its highest ever.
This increase in median age can be found in all sectors of the economy, including manufacturing. According to the BLS, the 2011 median age for production occupations, including assemblers, was even higher than the national average, at 43.1 years.