Business Beat
Survey says boomer retirements key workplace issue
The expected mass retirement of Baby Boomers is the No. 1 issue that will shape the future of the country’s work force, according to a new poll for a staffing company.
Forty-seven percent of the senior executives surveyed for Robert Half International cited the Boomer retirements as the No. 1 issue.
The impending retirements of the country’s biggest generation is also an issue on Long Island.
“It is a concern because we don’t have the people to replace the Baby Boomers who are retiring,” said Pearl Kamer, chief economist for the Long Island Association. “We know we have an ongoing labor force shortage, and when the Baby Boomers start to retire, it’s going to exacerbate the situation.”
She said that companies can buy time by retaining older workers with such perks as job sharing, telecommuting, and part-time positions. “But I think that is a temporary fix,” she said.
Longer term she said companies need to encourage young people to stay here or come here. But that’s easier said than done.
“Of course that is associated with an affordable lifestyle on Long Island and affordable housing,” she said.
Long Island has scored poorly on those fronts.
