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For most older Americans, that means “staying with your main job a few years longer,” says David Weir, director of the University of Michigan’s Health and Retirement Study . “The jobs people will have are the jobs they have now. The economy is not going to invent a whole new set of jobs.”

Older people with jobs need to let their employers know they want to work longer, says Munnell of Boston College.

Your chances of achieving that are better in the growth fields of education and health care. Having the right skills also helps.

Health care is a sector that people can move into without much trouble, with a little retooling, say labor experts and industry players. If your career was in banking or insurance, for instance, hospitals and other health-care facilities have large financial-service groups involved in billing and compliance.

"If you’re an older worker with experience in information technology, the door also is wide open. Health-care reform is putting a heavy emphasis on electronic record keeping," says Vic Buzachero, vice president of human resources for Scripps Health , which uses senior placement agencies to target mature workers and retirees. “A lot of money moves through the health-care system."

“The health-care industry is more favorable for older workers seeking employment,” adds AARP’s Setzfand.

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