URBANA – America's population is aging, and the nation's employers need to deal with it, a Naperville consultant says.

The baby-boomer generation is beginning to retire, and that ultimately will leave the United States with a deficit of younger workers, Bill Forssander said at a Champaign County Chamber of Commerce breakfast Thursday at Urbana's Holiday Inn.

Between 2002 and 2012, the U.S. population 55 and older is expected to grow by 49 percent, while the population under 55 is projected to grow only 5 percent, he said.

The main reason: a huge drop in the birth rate over the last half-century that stands to leave not only the United States, but also Canada, France, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan and China, short of workers.

Two workers are expected to exit the work force for every person entering it, he said.

As a result, employers must figure new ways to attract and retain older workers, said Forssander, the founder and president of Coda Consulting Group.

That means helping older employees stay current with new technologies and building a reputation for their companies of being truly multigenerational, he said.

Forssander said older workers tend to have "more balanced" emotional circuitry, though it sometimes takes them longer to process things. That's why judges, counselors and senior diplomats tend to be older people, he said.

At the same time, employers must remember that today's workplace has four generations in it, each with different values, preferences and approaches. Forssander categorized those generations as:

– Traditionalists. Born before 1946, they tend to value hard work, loyalty and duty. They respect the chain of authority and accept that life is hard.

– Boomers. Born between 1946 and 1964, they believe in personal growth and tend to be more team-oriented. They can be workaholics and pay more attention to health than previous generations.

– Generation X. Born between 1964 and 1980, members of this generation tend to be self-reliant, pragmatic, technologically literate and awakened to diversity. They seek more balance in life than their elders did.

– Zoomers. Born after 1980, they not only accept, but expect, change. They're tech-savvy.

"Work is not everything to them," Forssander said of the zoomers. Because they grew up with video games, they're prone to take risks, he said.

Each of the four generations has different expectations for feedback. Traditionalists tend to think "no news" from managers is "good news," while zoomers tend to equate silence with disapproval. They would prefer continuous feedback, he said.

In recruiting workers, companies will find that different inducements appeal to the various generations. Older workers tend to appreciate training and flexible schedules. Zoomers look for mentoring and internships and are eager to move on to bigger and better things.

"They don't want to hear you say they have to wait," Forssander said.

An older America will also produce new opportunities for those looking to profit. Forssander foresees growth in specialty stores targeted to older adults, lifelong learning centers, diagnostic and treatment centers, and physical therapists, nutritionists and trainers who cater to older adults.

Hot occupations include nurses, home medical assistants, security guards, food preparers and tech-savvy clerks, he said.