Due to Japan's declining birth rate, the number of working-age people has steadily diminished. Conversely, Japan's elderly has grown twice as large in the past 20 years because of improved health care. Younger Japanese workers are also avoiding factory work and seeking employment in corporations. This trend will ultimately limit economic growth because fewer industrial workers results in lower production.

The production issue affects factories in particular, so manufacturing plants are actively seeking workers over 60 years old. (In some cases, companies are re-hiring retired employees.) With declining pensions distressing the economy, Japan passed a law last year requiring companies to raise the retirement age to 65 within the next eight years.

Since Japan has no age discrimination laws, it's common for older Japanese workers to receive only two-thirds or half the regular pay; however, many are eager for these jobs in order to cover pension losses and obtain extra money. Additionally, factories are accommodating older employees by enhancing work environments with modified machines that reduce wrist movement, installing brighter lights, and allowing workers to sit at their stations.

The U.S. population is not aging as rapidly as Japan, and the U.S. relies on immigration to boost its work force. However, the matter of Social Security will need to be addressed, and many U.S. companies are persuading elderly workers to work additional years before receiving retirement benefits.