Attorney question about client's worklife

Q: In my client's economic damage report, why did the economist project that my client would retire before he is eligible for social security benefits?

A: The economist is not actually projecting your client to retire before he is eligible for retirement. The economist is actually measuring the expected remaining worklife for your client.

That is, the economist is accounting for the projected time out of the work force due to layoffs, illnesses, etc, that your client can reasonably expect over his remaining worklife. The expected worklife projection is based on the plaintiff's labor force status, education, race and gender.

For instance, a 40 year white male who is currently out of the labor force and has less than a high school education, will have around 17 full working years remaining. The 17 full years estimate accounts for the time the individual is expected to be out of the workforce. Stating the worklife expectancy in this manner makes it easier for most people, i.e. juries, to understand.