The employment potential of older workers

Employers are getting nervous. Their Baby Boomer workforce is heading toward retirement en masse. And new and younger workers aren't getting trained in fast enough. Plus there's a shortage of workers in many industry sectors. What's an employer to do?

Find creative ways to retain older workers a while longer or hire even more older workers are a couple of solutions. Plus, make sure the vast knowledge and skills they have are passed on to the next generation of workers.

These are the issues and ideas that will be presented at "The Employment Potential of Older Workers: Recruitment, Retention and Knowledge Transfer" on Sept. 22 in Fergus Falls. The event will be held 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Bigwood Event Center, and the $10 cost includes lunch.

The event is sponsored by the Labor Force Development Council of west central Minnesota.

Visit West Central Initiative's Web site for more information and to register.

What does an aging workforce mean to our state and local economies?

As more and more baby boomers hit retirement age, and more and more schools experience declining enrollment, employers are starting to get a little nervous about their future workforce.

Minnesota State Demographer Tom Gillaspy and Minnesota Chief Economist Tom Stinson recently presented sobering statistics, interesting challenges and possible solutions at Alexandria's second annual Manufacturers and Industries Breakfast.

Read about their presentation.