I've been seeing articles on the impending retirements of boomers, and the possible effect of these retirements. It's going to start having an effect on me quite soon (about 4 people I work with fairly closely will be eligible for early retirement (we have a DB plan) in the next few years). There was an article in the WSJ a week or two ago, too.
- It is a mistake to think that U.S. economic gains for the past decades will continue based solely on technology breakthroughs and plentiful numbers of skilled workers. There has never been anything like today's aging population, and the potential economic meltdown it might bring on several fronts.
From 1980-2002, the U.S. workforce exploded by 50% due to the addition of 38 million baby boomers. Women also flooded into the workforce. Now the baby boomers are aging, and in the decade following 2010, the principal talent pool for managers and workers under age 45 will begin shrinking by 6%. The structural demographic forces are now in place for a real skill war for talent during at least the next 20 years, and the problem will be worldwide.
http://www.benefitnews.com/finance/detail.cfm?id=8081
