What type of Part Time jobs do most young retirees do? (55, moving)

[Dingler]

I hear that many Americans are retiring from full time work at age 55 or so and moving to Part time work. Here in Northern VA it seems like most lower paid part time jobs are taken by immigrants.

I had a friend who retired and tried to get a part time job at age 55 after 30 years as a business executive. He tried for a year to find a job in retail, restaurants and Hotels but he was constantly rejected for being overqualified. He kept telling people he was semi retired and wanted part time work for 15-20 hours a week. No one would hire him even thought the places were constantly advertising for workers. He also tried temporary agencies after working for 6 months to be an expert in Microsoft Office and typing but he was still rejected. He did not look the part.

Is it easier to find retail or other traditonally part time jobs in towns with fewer immigrants?

[cdelena]

There is plenty of part time work in retail where good English is required, but don't expect much of a salary or any benefits. Fewer office environments need to fill in with part timers so that will be harder to find unless you offer a special skill. Immigrants may fill many low paying jobs where English is not important, but it is likely there is some other reason he is having trouble finding a position.

[humboldtrat]

Since I left a 30 year job with one company, I have worked FT and PT off-and-on (such as retail) without any problems. Employers seem to hire people with a good work history (starting with showing up on time day after day) and good English skills. And here in CA, there are plenty of recent immigrants for employers to pick from.

[yellowsnow]

If you have skills, consulting is great for part time and good money. I can walk into a business and teach them how to run their operations for less money and position themselves for future growth. It's fun and no one loses because I will never ever be a proponent of outsourcing or eliminating jobs. I emphasize that their people are their biggest asset!

[Waterlily]

Some older people find part time work here at the Oregon coast. It's not likely to be a high paying jobs but things like fast food, thrift shops or retail.

Now I will tell you that it can be harder to find a job if you are over 55. it'll help if you look fit, and have some sort of expierence in the job that you are applying for. A good personality would be a plus too since you'd be dealing with people.

[stormweary]

Here in central Fl. Publix grocery chain hires "older" workers. I was mildly surprised when I had a 70 something bag boy! Also, Disney hires older persons and are fairly liberal with times. I know of one guy who works the train there one week end a year!! it may be the higher than usual number of retirees but i'd like to think that it has to do with us being good employees for the most part.

[JayDaughtry]

Dingler-

I see that this is sort of a continuation of thought from your other thread.

Here are a couple of other ideas for you:

I don't know what you do currently, but I would consider starting my own company or finding employment that can be done remotely where it doesn't matter where you are. A number of years ago I had a friend who husband was transferred to Maine from Northern Virginia. She was able to take her job with her (and its higher salary than what could normally be found in Maine) and do it remotely. As yellowsnow mentioned, positioning yourself as a consultant in a given field would be a way to determine both your hours and your income if you have skills in a designated area. Lastly, do you work in an organization where getting transferred is a possibility? Maybe you could take that route and then go part-time down the road in your new location.

[Baltic_Celt]

I live in Boston & it's not uncommon to see retired folks, much older than you, doing PT retail or food service jobs. I would suspect that any city with 100K population, as you'd mentioned desiring, would reflect the same, or should I say that it wouldn't be unheard of to see PT retirees as employees.

1. Whole Foods (upscale natural food store) has baggers that are over 65. I've seen a few in their deli areas, too.
2. Stop & Shop and Shaw's (grocery store chains) have cashiers, baggers & even cart collectors who are older.
3. I've seen older workers at Home Depot, Starbucks (but they're rather fast paced here, so not low-stress) & JoAnn's Fabrics.
4. I know several retired women who work at Boston Sports Club at the front desk for $7/hr & a free club membership. Most workers, in general are students & almost all employees work 12-24 hrs/wk. They implement 6-hr shifts, probably so as not to have to deal with lunches/breaks. Only management are FT workers, more than likely so as not to pay out benefits.

I don't go to fast food restaurants, so am unsure about them. I do occasionally visit mid-range restaurants & the under-35 seem to have the market cornered, unless they're family owned/staffed.

To address your last question, since Boston has always attracted many immigrants, you find people of all backgrounds in all jobs, so it's hard to say if any jobs are relegated to one population over another. I've worked with people not born in the US in everything from IT to hairdressing. I do notice that whatever nationality seems to populate a particular neighborhood, for the most part, reflects the workers in that area's stores. The 2 Whole Foods I shop in, have few American-born employees, but I'm unsure of the other 1/2-dozen stores. Those 2 stores are in areas with high foreign populations. Perhaps it's that they pay lower wages so folks who are brand new to our shores apply for these jobs.

Unless you're in Chinatown or the N. End (Italian section), where many families own eateries, in particular, it's rare to find strictly foreign employees. There are Irish employees sprinkled thoughout the city, as well, mainly bar/restaurant/coffee shop jobs until they find better paying jobs to utilize their degrees.

As far as your 1 friend is concerned, that's his story & not necessarily yours. As others have said, it depends on how well you blend with others, etc. If a former high powered manager wants to work at Dunkin' Donuts, but wants to push his weight around as he did in his office, then he won't come across as a team player. He'd also be scarey to a manager who's working his way up & feels he might be stepped on or passed over once the regional mngrs take a gander at the great new guy at he take-out window who could run the joint better. Going in like gangbusters is good if you'll be running the show. Perhaps your friend did this, perhaps not. But, if I were checking out PT work after a long, successful career in which I'd be considered over-qualified, I'd focus on appearing cordial, reliable & flexible. Just my 2-cents.

I lived in Asheville, NC in 2000-1, population 17K & it sounds like it may be a place you might like. If I weren't single & didn't need a FT job, I would have been more likely to stay. There's still a change of seasons, it's very safe, there are many PT jobs (mainly lower-waged, retail & fast-food/mid-range restaurants), it has 3 mountain ranges with hiking trails, all within driving distance & there are many outdoor things to do. It's small town, so it's walkable downtown where there are sidewalks, there is a movie-plex which is a 10-min drive & a small arthouse cinema in town. I have no idea what housing prices are, so you'd need to check it out. It's a huge retirement area for folks all over the US, so you'll have many opportunities to make friends with flexible schedules. Surrounding towns are lovely, too, but you'd probably need to be commutable to Asheville to find work, even PT.

Also, ever consider northeastern PA? Beautiful surroundings, 1,400 ft above sea level, similar in everything to Asheville, population for the Wilkes-Barre area is 54K. Job prospects would be about the same. Most retirees (& there are plenty of them) are local or from NY/NJ. People are friendly, as well. Check out the PA forum for ScrantonWilkesBarre's photos. He has 1/2-dozen posts loaded with various towns' pics, if you do a search. You may also want to ask Cosmic about OH. He moved there from the Boston area & hasn't regretted it. Cheap housing, like NEPA, lower cost of living, etc. Sounds like he's having a blast over there.

Good luck in your research. Hope this helps... VV

[hapaleeretired]

Many of my retired friends get jobs as drivers. Airport shuttle buses, shuttle buses at car dealers, parts stores to name a few.

[Buckhead_Broker]

Are these people working because they are bored - or because they need the money?

If they need the money, there are a heck of a lot better ways to make money than hanging around a grocery store or doing temp work!

If they want social interaction, why don't they volunteer?