Japan: "Silver" Workers Seen as Solution for "2007 Problem"

Chisa Fujioka, wrting for Reuters, reports on the growing demand for "silver" workers as Japan's population ages. Shigeo Hirano, president of staffing agency Mystar 60 Corp.--which specializes in finding jobs for those aged 60 and over, says "Japan's best engineers and technicians are leaving factories and offices for retirement."

"Companies are realizing that hiring the elderly is the only way to retain high levels of skills and expertise," added Hirano, himself a sprightly 63.

Fears of a labor crunch and a deficit of skilled workers are growing in Japan as baby-boomers start hitting the standard retirement age of 60 this year, in what Japanese media have dubbed the "2007 problem".

Another major staffing agency reports that both the number of elderly seeking work and the number of companies wanting to hire them have doubled since April 2006.

Source: Reuters "Greying workers wanted for hire in aging Japan" (January 1, 2007)

Norway: First Senior-only Temp Agency Opens

According to a report from Norwegian Broadcasting, Norway has started its first manpower service drawing solely on the resources of older workers. Seniorformidling is the name of the unique bureau that only links employers with workers over the age of 50.

Founder Tor Kristian Johansen says: "Older job seekers often experience being put at the back of the applicant queue, and fall to the wayside because of their age." More and more companies are contacting the senior manpower service, which confirms an emerging trend towards using experienced workers to fill temporary gaps.

Source: Aftenposten "Senior service" (January 2, 2007)