These companies have pledged to hire people over 50

Charles Schwab Headquarters: San Francisco, California

Industry: Securities Charles Schwab Headquarters: San Francisco, California

Industry: Securities Photo: JB Reed, AP Photo: JB Reed, AP Image 1 of / 35 Caption Close These companies have pledged to hire people over 50 1 / 35 Back to Gallery

Studies have shows that at age 50, people are happier and less stressed, are often more confident than ever, and are at their peak for vocabulary, comprehension and overall knowledge.

But - according to a ProPublica report from December - most people switching careers over 50 are being forced to leave, forcing them into potentially challenging career searches.

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Hundreds of companies are hiring workers aged 50 or older onto their workforces in all kinds of roles. In fact, more than 800 have signed AARP's pledge to bring on employees to reap the benefits of a "multi-generational workforce," which "yields a strong pipeline of talent, protects business continuity and taps into new resources to address labor shortages."

Among them are big and diverse names as Aetna, Rover, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MetLife, Wells Fargo, General Mills, Pfizer, LinkedIn, MINDBODY and MGM Resorts International. Whatever a candidate's background and industry of experience, there are surely options.

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Where should your career go next? That's up to you. But we've combed through the hundreds of companies seeking age-diverse employees and highlighted some locally-based organizations in the above gallery.

Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira.

