Tip: For postretirement job, retool your skills

The unemployment rate is discouragingly high, but for boomers and seniors hoping to end this decade still earning a paycheck, there's good news: Today's job shortage may become tomorrow's labor shortage. But you may have to change your career and retool your skills.

"It used to be people at that age would never think about retraining, because they thought, 'How much longer will I have to work?' " says Marci Alboher, vice president of Civic Ventures, a boomer advocacy group specializing in identifying post-retirement careers. "It is really quite possible to envision the encore career period lasting five to 10 to 20 years."

According to a new report produced by Civic Ventures and MetLife Mature Market Institute, a recovering economy will add more than 15 million new jobs by the end of the decade. Among the hottest jobs for older workers will be in health care, education and the nonprofit sector. As boomers retire from their longtime jobs, many employers will be luring them back to the workforce to fill these new positions.

But how do you prepare and train for a new career, often in a field where you may have limited or no experience? "There are all these new ways that people can get the training they need," Alboher says. "You may want to do a fast certification program at your community college, or you may do an online program or a series of online workshops."

For those who want to go out on their own, Alboher says think about starting a business that caters to the over-50 demographic. Travel-related businesses, career services and nutrition education will be hot as boomers stay active. Or just follow your dreams. "You may want to revisit an interest from when you were younger, or you may want to pursue a neglected passion or hobby," Alboher says.

For tips on how to find and prepare for a new career, go to encore.org, the jobs-resources website operated by Civic Ventures.