While many members of the baby boom generation will retire in the upcoming decades, many others will keep working well into their sixties, seventies and beyond. Higher numbers and proportions of older workers will have implications for workers' health, safety, productivity and business sustainability.

Survey data consistently find that while most employers are aware of the demographic shift underway and the kinds of actions they need to be prepared, very few have actually implemented the necessary changes. Preparing for an aging workforce now will sustain the health, safety and productivity of all workers, regardless of age, for years to come.

Here are some of the reasons why many baby boomers will continue to work past traditional retirement age:

• Being active and healthy for twenty or thirty years after the age of 65 is becoming a reality for higher numbers of people than ever before.
  
• Retiring early may not be financially feasible for some workers.
  
• In certain industries, there simply are not enough incoming workers to replace retiring baby boomers.
  
• Waking up without a job is surprisingly difficult for many people, even when early retirement has been a life-long dream.
  
• Employers are starting to realize the economic benefits of recruiting and retaining older workers.
  
• Medicare does not start until 65 and the need for health insurance often increases with age.
  

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