Work Life Expectancy

Work Life Expectancy (WLE) - An estimate of how many years an invidual has remaining to be active in the labor force. Factors that are often considered in determining WLE include age, gender, race, and education level.

Tables created by Gary Skoog and Jim Ciecka cover work life expectancy as a function of the following variables: age, gender, active/inactive in workforce, and education level. These tables have been called "the most complete tables yet developed" by Gerald Martin in his guide Determing Economic Damages.

 Application to Forensic Economics 

When calculating economic damages resulting from the loss of earnings, it is important to know how long an individual would have been expected to work if not for the wrongful termination (or injury/death). WLE provides an estimate of exactly that.