Best Employers if You Are Over 50

The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) and the Society for Human Resource Management recently announced the 2013 list of best employers for workers aged 50 and up. The first place winner was the National Institutes of Health, the nation’s medical research agency.

As it turns out, the top five best employers for Baby Boomers and other older workers are in the medical or health care sector. In order, they are Scripps Health of San Diego; Atlantic Health Systems of Morristown, N.J.; the MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas at Houston; and Mercy Health System of Janesville, Wis.

Since 23 of the 50 top employers of seniors are in health care, there must be a reason. According to Jean Setzfand, AARP vice president for financial security, health care employers want to hire employees who understand and sympathize with their aging clientele. They also "value the skill set of the older worker," Setzfand said. Finally, since these employers require a highly skilled labor force, that generally means older workers.

The areas on which employers were rated include flextime, benefits, and both medical coverage and pension plans. Other employment sectors that tend to excel in these areas include government, education, and financial services.

If you are over 50 and need a job, you probably won’t restrict your search to the employers – or even the sectors - mentioned here, but if you have a choice, it might pay to go where your skills and experience will be appreciated and valued.