This message is in MIME format. Since your mail reader does not understand this format, some or all of this message may not be legible. BLS DAILY REPORT, THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 1999 Seniors are staying on the job -- some for satisfaction, some for survival, says The Washington Post (page E1). ... As the number of senior citizens in the United States grows, the number of older workers is increasing steadily, too. About 12 percent of the work force, or about 3.9 million people, were 65 or older in 1997. By 2006, senior citizens are expected to make up about 15 percent of the work force. Growing life expectancy explains part of the increase. ... The country may be seeing glimmers of the end of the trend since 1950 of earlier and earlier retirement because of private pensions and the Social Security system, which encouraged people to enjoy more leisure time, according to the Washington-based Employee Benefit Research Institute. The nonprofit research group reported last month that, since 1985, the proportion of senior citizens holding or seeking jobs -- known as the labor force participation rate -- has risen slightly, particularly for men. EBRI credited the increase of seniors in the work force to the elimination of mandatory retirement ages and changes in the Social Security system that allow retirees to earn more money without incurring financial penalties. Other workers, lacking adequate private pensions and struggling to live on Social Security alone, simply can't afford to quit working until health problems force them to stop. ... New orders for manufactured durable goods fell 5 percent in February, the largest setback in demand in 7 years, the Commerce Department reports. ... In the year to date, new orders are 5.5 percent greater than the same period 1 year ago. ... (Daily Labor Report, page D-1)_____Durable goods orders fell last month at the fastest rate since late 1991, casting doubt on the revival of the ailing manufacturing sector. The plunge reflected weaker demand for aircraft, electronics, and industrial machinery. The drop broke a string of 3 straight months of increases and marked the steepest decrease since orders fell 6.5 percent in December 1991, when the economy was emerging from a recession (Washington Post, page E1)_____The decline was a sign that an expected recovery in manufacturing could be a few months away. .... (New York Times, page C5)_____The decline in new orders for durable goods may not be a death blow to manufacturing's recent rebound. ... Economists were reluctant to read the decline as a pending manufacturing slump because the monthly report is volatile and is frequently revised. ... (Wall Street Journal, page A2) Data compiled by the Bureau of National Affairs in the first 12 weeks of 1999 show that the median first-year wage increase in newly negotiated contracts equals 3 percent, and the weighted average increase for settlements reported to date is 2.2 percent. The manufacturing industry's gain is 3 percent, and its weighted average increase is 2.8 percent. Nonmanufacturing settlements (excluding construction) show a median increase of 3 percent, with a weighted average increase of 2.2 percent. ... 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