If your working days aren't over, be ready to hit the ground running.
No one ever said it’s easy getting older.
With losses in retirement funds, not enough money saved and difficulties in selling real estate, the economic burden on most retirees has shifted over the last few years. More and more Americans believe they will need to work much longer than anticipated.
But are companies equipped to handle a workforce that may require training (especially in recent technologies) and some scheduling flexibility? Not according to the MSNBC.com article “As Work Force Grays, Employers Lag Behind.”
The aging of the work force is a fact. More than 40 percent of civilians aged 55 and over consider themselves part of the labor force, up from about 32 percent a decade ago, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Yet initiatives aimed at meeting the needs of older workers are few and far between. Few employers, for example, offer the benefit of a snowbird program, which allows workers the option to work in two towns so they can live in warmer climates in the winter. And many employers struggle with issues related to physical demands that pose an increasingly tough challenge for older workers in many professions.
A 2008 report on the aging work force from the Society for Human Resource Management revealed that only 14 percent of companies had formal programs to retain older workers, while 59 percent of human resource managers said their organizations did not actively recruit older workers. A study by recruiting company Spherion Corp. found that only 27 percent of workers 51 and older were extremely or very satisfied with the work/life balance programs offered by employers. That poll was done in 2007, before the economy went south.
If you’re older and looking to reenter the work force in this recession, you probably could use some advice. In the article, “How to Reenter the Workforce at Any Age” career coach Lee Miller suggests you “hit the ground running.”
Be prepared to demonstrate to a prospective employer how you can help the company now. Offering references and success stories from your past that show you get the job done will facilitate finding a job quickly. This is not a good time to consider a career change. Going back to doing what you have done successfully in the past is the best return-to-work strategy.
Additional age-related career advice:
- Tips For Beating the “Age-Discrimination Filter”
- An Aging Workforce: New Opportunities for Older Executives
- 12 Strategies for Job Market Re-Entry
- Retired Salesman Returns to the Job-Search Fray
[Image by sarniebill1 via Flickr CC 2.0]
Discussion
No comments for “U.S. Employers Not Prepared, Concerned for Older Workers”