By the year 2025, 38 percent of the population of the Netherlands is projected to be aged 55 and over. Only 40 percent of the group aged 55-64 was working in 1985, and only 2.3 percent of the people aged 65 and over was working--the smallest number among industrialized countries. This development was mainly due to early retirement schemes and social security systems that were chosen in 1986 by 85 percent of the entitled workers. In recent years, the costs of those retirement schemes and the demographic figures are becoming a matter of concern. The government began allowing industries to dismiss people at age 57.5 in 1982. Those dismissed got unemployment wages of up to 95 percent of their salaries. The unions have recently become aware of the aging of the society and have proposed a policy of involving older workers in training and retraining. Employers also show increasing interest in the human capital of skilled and experienced older workers. The only regular training programs are IBM's "age-conscious personnel management and quality of work" and a training program for the reentry of older nurses. Besides this, there are training programs on job placement, outplacement, and the widespread preparation for retirement. Only two special projects were found to be targeted at older workers; these involve senior citizens' consultancy programs that help them become self-employed. Such programs are becoming more popular. (20 references) (KC)