Some companies in Japan are trying to improve conditions for their employees who work beyond retirement.
The firms hope that raising their pay and allowing them to stay on the job for longer will help maintain workforces amid a growing labor shortage.
Employees at home-furnishing chain Nitori Holdings have usually retired at age 60. They could then choose to stay until 65 at reduced salaries.
The company is now extending the age to 70. Wages are also being hiked up to about 90 percent of what the workers were making before retirement.
The new system applies to all qualified employees.
Ohki Mitsuru, General Manager of the Organization Development Office of Nitori Holdings, said: "Our biggest hope for post-retirement employees is that they instruct younger workers. I think there are many things that cannot be seen by the younger generation. We hope senior workers will give lots of opinions to improve the company."
Firms with similar plans include automaker Suzuki and trading house-related IT firm Itochu Techno-Solutions.
The companies hiked wages of their older workers from April to the same levels they earned before retirement.