Cover for The Shorter Working Life by Scott Jellen

The Shorter Working Life

A Framework for Reducing Required Lifetime Labor

A framework paper arguing that the modern work lifecycle no longer matches current economic and demographic conditions. It proposes reducing the duration of mandatory full-time labor over time, using retirement as the primary institutional mechanism for transition.

Framework PaperFuture of WorkRetirementLabor PolicyInstitutional Design
Published: April 20, 2026