Upfront: Preparing for the Retirement Bulge

The number of baby-boom workers heading into retirement is swelling, and companies are bracing for their departure, according to a new survey of 150 executives at large organizations by Robert Half International Inc., a Menlo Park, Calif.-based staffing firm.

"As members of the baby-boom generation retire, shortages of skilled workers will likely start emerging," says Max Messmer, the company's chairman and CEO. "Tenured employees take with them valuable experience, industry contacts and knowledge of best practices that are difficult to replace." Of those surveyed, 78 percent say their organization is taking steps to offset the projected loss of those workers.