Retire retirement: Career Strategies for the Boomer Generation:By Tamara Erickson; Harvard Business School Press $19.95 (€13.45).

THE FUTURE of work is bright for baby boomers, according to a book by Tamara Erickson, an author and researcher specialising in workforce developments. In this latest work, she explains why people born between 1946 and 1964 can look forward to a second career spanning 30 years.

Some, she admits, may not want to put in the same hours as in their first career. Some may be looking for other opportunities, such as travel or community work. But today there is an opportunity to do something new, something they may feel more passionate about.

What has changed to make all this possible? The first point is that people are living longer and are healthier than they used to be. Indeed, Erickson predicts that many people will have their new 30-year career between the ages of 55 and 85.

Second, companies will need skilled people to fill the growing talent gap that is forecast to develop as boomers retire in vast numbers, a subject Erickson has already written about in Workforce Crisis. She suggests the next generation will not only be fewer in number, but it will have fewer skilled workers. Boomers will be in demand by employers.

Finally, technological connectivity will enable boomers to work more efficiently, so they will not need to keep to office hours or commute.

Some of this should be taken with a pinch of salt. Erickson makes sweeping statements that can easily be punctured: "Boomers are destined to be the first generation in human history to experience a significant period of healthy, adult, non-childrearing life! You will have time."

While this may be true for many, there will still be plenty of individuals who will not be well enough to take on a new career. Moreover, while many boomers may no longer have to look after their children, many will be caring for their aged parents.

One of the interesting trends she identifies is the possibility that companies will measure their workers by what they do rather than the hours they put in. But smarter ways of working have been discussed for years by thinkers and businessmen such as Ricardo Semler, who combines the roles of chief executive and management guru - and none have gained significant and widespread currency.

US retail chain Best Buy is often cited in studies to prove that companies are experimenting with task-based work and Erickson uses it as an example. But, as with much of the material in this book, the reader is left without enough information. Why have so few firms followed Best Buy? Readers won't find an answer here.

About one-third of the book is devoted to an interesting discussion of the differences between generations, from the Traditionalists (1928-1945) at one end to Generation Y (1980-2000) at the other. Generation Y has been particularly influenced by the rise of global terrorism, for instance. So, says Erickson, they live for the moment. Both Generation X and Y are keener on their network of friends than pursuing success at work. But by Erickson's admission, this is a simplistic way to look at individuals: "Of course, any broad characterisation of a group omits much of the important detail that makes us unique."

Instead of devoting so much of the book to the generations, though, Erickson might have delved more into the globalised, interconnected and collaborative world of work that appears to be developing. Charles Handy, the Shell manager turned management guru, has lived the life Erickson extols - and he has talked and written about how older workers can renew their careers in their 60s, 70s and even 80s. Many would do well to go back to Handy's work.

Erickson tries to make the book global by referring to workplace trends across the world, but essentially this is an American book about the experience of its postwar generation. It is a pity there is not more treatment of equivalent experiences and trends elsewhere.

Let's hope most boomers will have the skills and health required to make the last stage of their lives interesting and rewarding. This book might encourage them, even energise them. But it won't be the definitive map into the brave new world that they - or their potential employers - will need. - (Financial Times service)