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We've all heard various perspectives about whether or not older workers are discriminated against. I'm somewhere in the middle of the issue - I do think there is discrimination to a degree, more with some firms and fields, less with others, but I don't think it's impossible for people over fifty, even though without a great skillset, to find employment.
Still, with more and more jobs being either automated away, outsourced to lower paying vendors, or offshored, there's likely to be further stress on the labor market in years to come, and older workers look to be the most vulnerable.
What's going to happen with all the 50+ workers who end up "aged out" of the labor force? SS can't bridge the gap. UI benefits have already been pared back. Personal savings aren't sufficient to carry people from being laid off in their 50s when many folks are now living into their 80s.
Many will end up in lower paying work and be forced to take a reduced lifestyle. Where do you see this situation going, and are we coming to a crisis point?
Thirty years ago there were a lot of us required to do a job and then along came technology and computers.
Because of technology what took a worker to achieve in a year to accomplish in 1985 took half the time by 1995. By 2015 we would do in three months what used to take a year 30 years ago.
What happened was training stopped when technology allowed for the non-replacement of workers through natural attrition and retirement. In 1985 it took four people to do the volume of work I can now do by myself and I don't bust my butt on it either.
Today there is a shortage of trained people and the median age of people who can do what I do is 61 years old and 75% of our number are older than 50. If you want to age discriminate against someone older than 50 you're going to have to look somewhere else. I'm 68, still working and 20% of our number at my certification level are older than I am.
If you're in HR and put out an ad for someone like me do not expect to see a sea of eager young faces show up for job interviews cause that ain't gonna happen.
Some will adapt, others will not. I'm in NYC and plenty of over 40 and over 50 folks are working their bums off. I also see folks in their 60s, not as many though. I see older folks in offices as support staff, in supermarkets, in animal clinics and other places. These folks have energy, a sense of humor and do their jobs without complaining. Maybe these are the people that have no retirement, or a spouse's income to lean on -but these are also the people that I want to be like when I hit my 50s. Who cares why they're there, it's none of my business and I don't care. They do a good job, they have customer service skills and know what they're talking about. That's what I'm paying for. If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere (Frank S. song).
We've all heard various perspectives about whether or not older workers are discriminated against. I'm somewhere in the middle of the issue - I do think there is discrimination to a degree, more with some firms and fields, less with others, but I don't think it's impossible for people over fifty, even though without a great skillset, to find employment.
Still, with more and more jobs being either automated away, outsourced to lower paying vendors, or offshored, there's likely to be further stress on the labor market in years to come, and older workers look to be the most vulnerable.
What's going to happen with all the 50+ workers who end up "aged out" of the labor force? SS can't bridge the gap. UI benefits have already been pared back. Personal savings aren't sufficient to carry people from being laid off in their 50s when many folks are now living into their 80s.
Many will end up in lower paying work and be forced to take a reduced lifestyle. Where do you see this situation going, and are we coming to a crisis point?
Well, some of us have worked low wage jobs for our entire lives, and then (While working) and seeing the future, decided on a course of action that has ended up making life better than had it been had they continued with their previous way of life.
Not surprising that men will use a gun, but females use poison....Guess they like to be tidy....
That's why I recommend saving as much for retirement as possible. Try to get multiple income streams as well. Retirement could come sooner than one thinks. But that aside, generally if one keeps their skills sharp they can still be very valuable to an employer. There are older workers who retire from some industries where the employer begs them to come back because they have skills not many others have. You want to be that kind of worker.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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An advantage to being in a specialized field is that experience counts more. I started working here at age 57, and have since hired people ages 40 and 53, in addition to some younger. My lowest pay position (opening right now) at about 25-30/hour requires 2 years experience, but many jobs here require 10. The current opening in Engineering for example requires 7 years, one in project management 6 years.
We are already seeing increases in multi-generational family living situations, also communal living. If you can live alone or just with your spouse/partner when you are too old to earn your normal wage, or you are too old to work at all, then I think you will be doing very well. I think a lot of people are going to have to drastically rethink and change how they live in the future.
That's why I recommend saving as much for retirement as possible. Try to get multiple income streams as well. Retirement could come sooner than one thinks. But that aside, generally if one keeps their skills sharp they can still be very valuable to an employer. There are older workers who retire from some industries where the employer begs them to come back because they have skills not many others have. You want to be that kind of worker.
Well put.
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