Baby Boomer retirement wave means more job opportunities for younger Americans

NEW YORK — The retirement wave is about to hit. A whopping four million Americans are expected to turn 65 every year for the next four years, and that can mean opportunity if you’re in the job market.

This wave of retirements will have ripple effects across the economy, and a big part of what’s at play here is demographics.

The Alliance for Lifetime Income found that 11,200 Americans will turn 65 every day through 2027.

That’s a record number, up from 10,000 per day over the past decade.

Some economists are calling it “Peak 65.”

Of course, not everyone who turns 65 retires right away. We know many households are working for longer as the cost of living has gone up.

But the big picture is there are more older Americans leaving the workforce than there are younger workers, like recent high school or college grads, getting in.

People who are on the job hunt might find that they have more options.

Right now, employers nationwide have posted a total of 8 million jobs they’re trying to fill, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

That number of job postings is actually higher than the number of people who are looking for work, and it could stay that way for the next couple of years.

The other important dynamic for workers is this could help boost their salaries. If employers are competing to fill open jobs, they might offer to pay higher wages.

One industry that will be especially hit as baby boomers retire is health care; think doctors, nurses, and home aides.

Almost one out of every four health care workers is over the age of 55, so as those workers retire, their jobs will need to be filled.

Plus, our aging population means there will be more people who need critical health care services.

Other industries that have a big share of older workers are government and education.

This is a time for younger workers to think about how to maximize their opportunities and earnings in their careers.

The biggest share of workers under the age of 40 is in retail and hospitality. They might want to consider how their skills from those jobs can translate into more in-demand industries like health care in this changing workforce.