More than 25 percent of United States businesses are not ready for a huge change in the nation's workforce as a record number of aging workers prepare for retirement, according to the second phase of a Boston College survey, “The National Study of Business Strategy and Workforce Development.”

Researchers from the college's Center on Aging and Work examined 578 companies and other organizations, finding that only 12 percent of businesses have in-depth plans for the coming change in their workforce. The majority of companies had planned to a limited or moderate degree.

“Even though organizations know that the workforce is aging and understand that their own workers are looking at retirement, many are not making plans for how business will adjust to these changes,” said Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes, co-director of the center.

The number of employees between the ages of 45 to 54 is projected to drop 10 percent between 2002 and 2012, according to the report.

Only 37 percent of employers have strategies to encourage older workers to stay past retirement age, and 60 percent of the employers polled in the survey indicated that finding competent applicants is a significant challenge.

The study recommends that employers and organizations begin crafting strategies for replacing the retirees and create incentives to keep older employees on the job.

“Most older workers who say that they want to extend the number of years they remain in the labor force also say that the typical 8-hour day, 5-day week doesn't work for them,” Pitt-Catsouphes said. “Employers who fail to consider flexible work options may be missing important opportunities to enhance both their business performance and their employees' engagement.”