Thinking of a lucrative retirement job? Maybe not …

Are you near retirement? And considering a retirement job?

Well, if you believe the job market will welcome the rich skill set you acquired during your working career, that may not necessarily be the case. At least not the way you think.

Mature workers have been particularly hard hit in the current job slump. And according to a study by the CareerBuilder online career site, a mere 28 percent of workers 55 and older laid off in the past 12 months found another job. That compares to 71 percent of workers ages 25 to 34 who found one.

Admittedly, these are laid-off workers, not retirees. But it can’t bode well for the 55+ set.

According to CareerBuilder, the dearth of offers has spurred these over-55s to expand their searches to include entry-level jobs, internships and relocations. And, the study notes, employers are open to the idea.

Of course they are. What employer wouldn’t want to hire someone with 30 or 40 years of work experience at an entry-level salary?

So. Consider yourself warned.