Wiser Worker Blog

I’ve seen several news sources lately that present quite a positive outlook for the 60+ workers considering getting into the workforce. It’s not surprising with the Baby Boomers gearing up for retirement it seems that there’s a lot of hype about whether or not we’ll have enough people to fill all the jobs that are available. Even now with a lack luster economy, it seems employers are looking for more experience, better quality candidates. Alot of these news stories have been saying that mature workers are actually preferred in some of the jobs that traditionally have been for teenagers or college students.

Quote from the Birmingham Post:

More than a third of businesses in the region are relying on older employees to plug skills shortages in their businesses, according to the Tenon Forum.

And more than half of owner-managers in the region are concerned about skills shortages and many claim younger recruits are often just not up to the job.

A lack of work readiness amongst graduates and poor literacy and numeracy amongst school leavers were key issues cited by businesses.

And many business owners are now looking to the previously untapped potential of older workers to plug the gap, with 63 per cent of SME leaders agreeing that the employment of workers aged 50 plus is a good solution to skills shortages. About one in six entrepreneurial businesses in the West Midlands actually prefer hiring older workers over college leavers as a solution to staffing problems.

(Read the full article: Older generation can solve the skills gap.)

Gazette.net in Maryland also had a similar story that emphasizes how hard it is this summer for teenagers to get their summer jobs. They’re finding that their biggest competition is more experienced adults who either have been laid off or looking to get some extra money to supplement their retirement or social security checks.

‘‘There are still jobs, but they tend to go to older workers who were laid off,” Mance said. ‘‘Kids tend to go to the back of the line, if you will, because more experienced workers are available and taking an interest in retail.”

When young people do find jobs, they either lucked into them or traveled to a tourist destination to live for the summer, she said.

‘‘Their parents want them to have jobs for the summer, but it’s brutal,” she said. ‘‘You have to be aware where the jobs are or stay where the jobs are if they provide housing.”

(Read the full article: For teens seeking a job, it’s summertime blues)

Now, I think the job market is different in every city and whether or not it’s as dire as the article makes it sound for teenagers, I think that there is one thing that is for sure - that mature workers really have a benefit of experience and that employers really have started considering them as a desireable (and in some cases preferred) demographic.

(Photo by ™bluhousworker)