Focus on: Boomer Transitions ______________________________________


Retiring Boomers Create Demand for Senior Managers
Bridgespan, a consulting group that helps find leaders for nonprofits, estimates that retiring boomers and the growth of the nonprofit sector will create a need for 640,000 senior managers during the coming decade, twice as many as are needed now.

The need dovetails nicely with the boomers' desire to work longer which is documented in a survey released in June by Civic Ventures and the MetLife Foundation.

The survey found that nearly 75% of boomers in the U.S. are planning to work past the traditional retirement age, and half of them want to work in jobs with a social purpose.


A Shifting Landscape for Baby Boomer Job Seekers
A weak economy is putting a tighter squeeze on workers in their 50s and 60s. Many have spent their career with only one or two employers, and a lot of them are looking for work for the first time in years.

"The world has changed since they last went job hunting, and some don't have a clue what to do," says Renee Ward, founder of an online community for mature workers.

►  Visit the Seniors4Hire website.


Retain Older Workers: Give 'Em Incentives
A recent survey points to what employers must do to convince retiring workers to stay.

Although there is no one size fits all formula, an Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) survey suggests successful strategies include making workers feel appreciated, offering them a full or partial pension while working part-time, and making seasonal or contract work available.

Timing is critical. Two-thirds of retirees reported that such offers would've been a lot more effective if they'd about them in the two years before they intended to retire. Nearly two-thirds also were receptive to employers asking them to stay longer.

►  Read More ...


Jan Hively on Minnesota Innovation
SHiFt's co-founder, and the founder of the Vital Aging Network, shares her thoughts in a recent interview on the rich tradition of innovation in Minnesota — and why it's needed more than ever.

As the state prepares for the coming Age Wave of baby boomers reaching a time of traditional retirement, Jan Hively says we'll need to find innovative ways to engage them — and other older people — more productively. Watch the interview here.


Baby Boomers Launch Encore Careers
It's been widely reported that boomers will continue to work past retirement age, but it hasn't been clear what kind of work they will do.

A new survey released in June found that between 5.3 and 8.4 million Americans ages 44 to 70 have already launched "encore careers" that combine income and personal meaning with social impact. And of those surveyed who are not already in encore careers, nearly 50% say they want one.

"The people who are pursuing encore careers are true pioneers," said Sibyl Jacobson, president and CEO of the MetLife Foundation. "They are blazing not only their own path but also one for those just behind them – workers who share their aspirations but have not taken the plunge."

►  Read More ...


Encore!

Encore.org serves the growing network of people who want the personal fulfillment of giving back, along with continued income. The website provides news, resources and connections for individuals and organizations establishing "encore careers" that combine social contribution, personal meaning and financial security.

Encore.org has also developed a Career Finder tool that scours more than five million listings to find jobs in nonprofit, environmental, health, education, social service and governmental organizations.


Recruiting the Over-50 Workforce
From the Workforce50.com website: "Dedicated to serving the 50+ workforce with a passion. Job seekers can feel secure in knowing that all employers advertising on this website are truly interested in hiring those of us over 50. We're connecting our nation's employers with today's energetic over-50 workforce."

Free service. Based in Colorado.


Third-Age Life Planning: A Holistic Approach
Last year, an assembly of the nation's leading baby boomer and retirement gurus descended on Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla., for a first-ever "life planning summit," of sorts.

At issue? How to best address the multitude of concerns - some might say fears - facing the nation's 78 million baby boomers on the cusp of transitioning into retirement.

A SHiFT Sponsor, SecurePath by Transamerica, has captured video clips of some of the presenters including Richard Leider, Gene Cohen, John Nelson, Ken and Mary Gergen.


Court to Employers: Prove It or Lose

In a closely watched age discrimination case, the U.S. Supreme Court in June placed on employers the burden of proving that a layoff or other action that hurts older workers more than others was based not on age but on some other “reasonable factor."


It's Happening There, Too

In Great Britain, official statistics show men over 65 and women over 60 are the fastest-growing group in the workforce.

Record food and fuel prices, together with soaring mortgage costs and council tax bills, are forcing thousands of elderly people to stay in their jobs long after they reach pensionable age. Many more are having to go back to work after retiring and discovering they cannot make ends meet on a state pension, which is just £90.70 a week for a single person.