Falling Through the Cracks: Addressing the Needs of Individuals Between Employment and Retirement

In this paper, we examine some of the public policy that provides financial support to individuals who are no longer in the labour force. We argue that these programs neglect the specific needs of individuals who are considered older by labour force standards and who are yet too young to collect full pension benefits. We show that the potential exists for these workers to fall through the cracks of public policy, leaving them with a financially insecure future. Finally, we explore some of the programs that have been used in other countries to address the needs of this group.