WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The best place in the United States for senior citizens to work is SC Johnson, the family-owned consumer goods maker, according to a study released on Tuesday.
The AARP -- once a group for retirees only that now bills itself as the voice of people 50 and over -- in a related study released at the same time urged employers globally to prepare for a grayer work force.
SC Johnson was ranked tops by AARP for seniors due to flexible work arrangements, generous health benefits, on-site education, paid sabbaticals and other perks.
The company is a model for employers in industrialized economies facing a "talent gap" -- more Baby Boomers reaching the traditional retirement age of 65 or so and a shortage of skilled, younger replacement workers, the AARP said.
"Employers in the United States and throughout the G7 nations, must actively work to retain the talent of older employees if they want to maintain a competitive edge," said AARP Chief Executive Bill Novelli.
The G7, or Group of Seven, nations are the United States, Britain, France, Japan, Germany, Italy and Canada.
Surveys done by the AARP in all these countries found that older workers wanted to keep working past retirement age, but most viewed age discrimination as a problem.
About 15 percent of Americans over 65 years old were in the work force last year, up from about 11 percent in 1985.
"We're seeing the new face of retirement looking more cyclical, people coming in and out of retirement ... People still want to work, they still want to be involved," said Deborah Russell, director of work force issues at AARP.
"Many countries are facing this issue much more acutely than the United States," she added, citing Italy and Japan.
SC Johnson, based in Racine, Wisconsin, makes Ziploc bags, Edge shaving cream, Raid insect spray, Glade air freshener and cleaners including Pledge, Windex, Drano, Shout and Vanish.
The company has not specifically pursued senior workers, but has a lot of them because it has very low employee turnover.
"People just come here and stay," said Kelly Semrau, company spokeswoman. "We have made it a philosophy for the last century to be a great place to work."
Most of the 50 employers ranked as the best places to work for seniors were not-for-profits or privately held.
Fewer than a half-dozen were publicly traded corporations, including First Horizon National Corp , Principal Financial Group Inc , Volkswagen of America , Deere & Co and Michelin North America .
First Horizon, the largest bank in Tennessee, said on September 12 it would eliminate at least 1,500 jobs by the middle of 2008 as it slashes its mortgage sales force and closes branches.
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