The coming wave of Boomer retirements will be the top workforce issue during the coming generation, according to a new survey of senior executives. A Robert Half International survey found 42 percent of senior execs citing the retirement wave as the highest-impact trend, followed by global business interactions (31 percent), outsourcing (11 percent) and remote work arrangements (5 percent). “The looming retirement of baby boomers has captured the attention of business leaders who are concerned about retaining the expertise of their most tenured employees,” said Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International. Messmer went on to note that many Boomers will delay retirement or seek out flexible work arrangements, blunting the expected impact.

AARP released it’s list of “Best Employers for Workers over 50″ list for 2007. Although S.C. Johnson topped the list of 50, what caught my eye is the dominance of health care and non-profits in the annual ranking. Companies apply to be listed, and AARP judges the applicants based on a range of human resources practices and policies, including recruiting practices, training, education, career development opportunities and flexible work arrangements. Retiree and health benefits are also considered. It’s interesting to see that business is under-represented here compared with other sectors of the economy. I threw the list on a spreadsheet and did a quick analysis; 52 percent of organizations listed are in the health sector; about a third were publicly-held or private companies like S.C. Johnson.

Business awareness of attracting and retaining older workers does seem to be on the rise; just 22 percent of last year’s AARP listees were public or private companies.

An increasing number of executives are changing their careers at mid-life or later, a Korn/Ferry International survey finds. The survey on “re-careering” polled 273 Korn/Ferry consultants on the trends they see in the employment market. Asked if they have seen an increase in the number of executives who are “re-careering,” 42 percent of the firm’s consultants replied “absolutely” and 20 percent replied that they are seeming “somewhat” of a trend in this direction. And 63 percent said they perceive more opportunities opening up for career shifters.

Korn/Ferry’s consultants cited a range of motivations for career changes, including boredom with retirement, sense of productivity, the need for intellectual challenge and insufficient retirement funds. Smaller numbers cited as motivating factors the need for social interaction, a need for daily structure after retirement or increased life expectancy.

While big companies keep shedding older workers, one-fifth of small businesses report that their workers are staying on the job past age 65, with two thirds saying employees are staying on because they want to keep working. The other third can’t afford to retire. The National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO) surveyed 400 small companies to learn how looming Baby Boomer retirements are being handled. “Either way, these older employees represent both an opportunity, thanks to their valuable experience, and a huge challenge, because small businesses have to get ready now for the graying work force,” said Milan P. Yager, executive vice president of NAPEO. The full survey results are here.

The non-profit sector is bracing for a big wave of volunteer help in the years ahead as Boomers age and re-mix their career priorities. That’s the good news–and the bad– according to the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), which released a report on trends in volunteerism March 7th at the at the Joint Conference of the American Society on Aging and the National Council on Aging. Seems Boomers are volunteering at higher rates than earlier generations–but retaining and keeping them engaged is proving tougher than expected for non-profits.

Key findings:

• The surge of aging Baby Boomers will increase volunteering by older adults by 50 percent by the year 2020 – and double the number of older adult volunteers by the year 2036.

• Boomers in their late 40s to mid-50s are volunteering at higher rates than did members of previous generations.

• The volunteer activities that hold most appeal for Boomers are management functions, music or performance, and tutoring, mentoring and coaching.

• The more often Boomers volunteer, the more likely they are to volunteer again.

• Boomer volunteers who engage in general labor or supply transportation regularly drop out of volunteering.

• Remaining in the workforce increases the likelihood that a Boomer will continue to volunteer.

Speaking at the conference, David Eisner—CEO of CNCS—worried about other stats in the study underscoring the need for non-profits to re-tool their approach to Boomer volunteers.

“They like challenging and substantial opportunities,” he said. “And they vote with their feet. We are looking at attrition rates among Boomer volunteers of 30 percent ever year. The non-profit sector is doing a poor job providing opportunities and the type of management of these volunteers it takes to keep them fulfilled.”

“Boomers are more discerning about the basics. If they feel their time is being wasted, they’ll drop out. So, the basics of volunteer management are important.”

CNCS administers the federal Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America programs. The study, “Volunteering among older Americans” is based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau.

More evidence of short-sighted corporate employment policies: the Federal Reserve predicts that the looming exodus of 50+ employees from the workforce will start putting the brakes on U.S. economic growth after 2010. Yet employers are doing little or nothing to retain older employers with more flexible work arrangements–and many continue to actively push out older workers due to their higher salary and benefit expense.

A Fed staff study projects economic growth after 2010 will be reduced by about one percentage point due to a labor force shortage associated with Boomer retirements. And that’s to say nothing about the harder-to-quantify brain drain some employers are worried about. And, of course, the worries about Boomer retirement costs sinking the Social Security system. What a disconnect. Boomers say they want to keep working past traditional retirement age, and U.S. economic health depends on it. When will employers wake up and start implementing policies aimed at keeping older workers on the job?

Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), who chairs the Senate’s special committee on aging, is pushing legislation that would reward employers who establish flexible work schedules for older employees with tax credits. Other provisions of the bill include job training and a national clearinghouse for employers on hiring and retaining older workers. Kohl tells the Los Angeles Times: “We need to begin a national discussion to change the way we think about retirement. . “