NASHVILLE—How can employers attract, retain, and “gracefullyexit” employees? EBRI head Harry Conaway, Fidelity Vice PresidentJeanne Thompson, and American Retirement Association Communicationschief Nevin Adams weighed in at the NAPA 401(k) Summit.

Here is where employers are in 2016--Harry Conaway started itoff by “setting the table”:

• Boomers are aging and beginning to retire, though not as fast assome employers might want.

• Millennials are now the largest workforce.

• Salaries are flat.

• The Great Recession and other challenges are backgrounditems.

• There’s a move to more contractors and gig workers.

• There’s a shift from DB to DC plans.

• Workers are facing new work issues such as financial stress,higher credit card debt, higher student loan debt, and aresuffering, coincidentally (or not so coincidentally), from a lackof sleep as well.

To help employers, new products and services are created weekly.And as many pitches for these new products. It almost requires aConsumer Reports of benefits solutions to sort through all of them.EBRI trustees did briefly wonder if they should do this, Conawaysaid. “They didn’t do it, but it’s an opportunity.”