The term gliding towards retirement may have little meaning to the slightly more than one million Americans who are working past age 75.

The U.S. Department of Labor says about 6.4 percent of all Americans 75 or older were working last year. That's up from 4.7 percent a decade earlier.

Why the upsurge? People are living longer and healthier and need the money but some say the first wave of Baby Boomers reaching the traditional retirement age has opened up lots of opportunities for part-time workers.

Companies are thinking ahead on how to retain and recruit older workers through flexible scheduling and added benefits. They need to extend diversity training to include age.

The seven-year-old Senior Citizens Freedom to Work Act passed in 2000 allows workers to earn as much money as they want between age 65 to 69 without losing Social Security benefits.

Another reason is the gradual increase in the age for receiving Social Security benefits to 67 and a decline in traditional pensions and retiree health benefits.