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Most of the "older employees" are shown the door. Thats why you don't see many around. Its mostly kids just out of college. Like I said, sure the company will suffer HEAVILY long term because of this (Ive seen it first hand) because the expertise is gone. Employers don't care. Thats why I would never do any more than absolutely necessary to get by because sooner or later once you hit a certain age and become more expensive youre out the door.
Well that last part is a great reason for your employer to let you go. I've worked for 2 global publicly-traded companies for almost 20 years now (they care about the bottom line a lot) and while they have offshore employees, they keep onshore as well. And the onshore are easily above 40yo. Professional and experienced. If I managed people who do the absolute minimum, you can be sure they're out first. It's a reason I despise what unions stand for today. I try to prove every week that I am indispensable because when it comes time for my team lead or manager to make a decision, they can vouch for me. These corporate decisions come from the top and the 1st or 2nd level managers do not automatically say "yes boss". They get to choose who is gone. I've seen it first hand with my peers - there have been numerous "resource actions" and I've become indifferent to the threat because I've escaped it so many times. Managers don't want to lose good personnel and have to deal with the headaches because they're the ones who are customer-facing. It's the higher-ups that don't care as much.
Moreover - if you're doing the bare minimum, I hope that you're at least trying to improve your skills on the side. Defeatist attitudes have never gotten anyone anywhere. I guess that's the parenting side of me talking but hey, it's true.
I'm 40 and I've noticed that the people at my company get younger and younger and I'm not the only one who's noticed. My co worker who is 42 agrees. Now the VPs tend to be older - 40's, 50's and 60s. But what about the folks who never reach VP status? What happened to these workers, they just arent hirable?
I've noticed it at other companies too so I'm really wonder, what do these people do?
Start your own business so that you're not beholden to anyone else. Then no one will fire you and you won't have to worry about getting hired somewhere. Work to learn, but once you have the skill set go out and start your own gig.
There is a huge amount of age discrimination in various industries. If you're in one of those industries (such as tech) and you're getting older, you will have the choice of unemployment or career change.
If you've ever gotten rejected for being "overqualified" - that shows you're in an field where age discrimination is rampant.
Career change is a good strategy - to an industry where age discrimination is not a big problem. But be aware that there are no jobs (except mcjobs and sales) that require no experience, and employers tend not to count experience in a previous field.
That's quite the false dichotomy, setting up an example where there are only two choices when in reality there are dozens of choices.
If you're in your 40's you should have some savings set aside and be at least somewhat stable, own your own home, etc. If not.....how would you like me to go back in time to help you get on the path?
And what about starting one's own company? I imagine this is much harder to do if you work for a large firm because the vision for starting such a massive organization might not be there, but for those of us working for smaller companies it's easy to see how to get started.
And there has always been some percentage of the population who works McJobs, or Wally-Jobs. They constitute people of any age, in any city, town, state or region. Dead-ender types abound. People with no ambition have always been around and always will be, and they are indeed everywhere.
"The first two figures below show the evolution of the labor force participation rates of men and women ages 15-24. In both figures, the trends across countries are clear: Labor force participation of both young men and women has been declining.
<snip>
Aging also played a role, as the share of the population between ages 25 to 54 (the group with the highest level of labor force participation) experienced a larger-than-average drop."
___________
Why ?... I don't know.
You have pulled a stat out of context though. The labor force participation rate has been declining for all age groups, not just 15-24.
While interesting, it has nothing to do with the OP's question, as OP was trying to differentiate between the employment rates of different groups.
I'm 40 and I've noticed that the people at my company get younger and younger and I'm not the only one who's noticed. My co worker who is 42 agrees. Now the VPs tend to be older - 40's, 50's and 60s. But what about the folks who never reach VP status? What happened to these workers, they just arent hirable?
I've noticed it at other companies too so I'm really wonder, what do these people do?
This will vary by company.
I am in my early 50s, and I qualify as one of those who reached VP level. I look around my workplace, and I can see many people my age who are employed, but are not at my level. I also look at my Facebook friends from high school and college, who are obviously clustered around me in age. Some have been very successful, others not as much, but the vast majority are working. There are a number of business owners, a few artists and musicians, several teachers, a few tradesmen, some bus/truck/delivery drivers, a doctor or three, etc.
I think that OP is looking at a very small portion of the working population and seeing something that is not represented in the larger world.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by McBridge781
I'm 40 and I've noticed that the people at my company get younger and younger and I'm not the only one who's noticed. My co worker who is 42 agrees. Now the VPs tend to be older - 40's, 50's and 60s. But what about the folks who never reach VP status? What happened to these workers, they just arent hirable?
I've noticed it at other companies too so I'm really wonder, what do these people do?
"The first two figures below show the evolution of the labor force participation rates of men and women ages 15-24. In both figures, the trends across countries are clear: Labor force participation of both young men and women has been declining.
<snip>
Aging also played a role, as the share of the population between ages 25 to 54 (the group with the highest level of labor force participation) experienced a larger-than-average drop."
___________
Why ?... I don't know.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fishbrains
You have pulled a stat out of context though. The labor force participation rate has been declining for all age groups, not just 15-24.
While interesting, it has nothing to do with the OP's question, as OP was trying to differentiate between the employment rates of different groups.
My emphasis prior post in bold ... and the question that the OP asked "Do people in their 30's and 40's work?? " a long with another question " What happened to these workers, they just arent hirable?.
According to those stats, there are less of them in the workforce. The OP also asks, what do theses people do? That is a very good question, one in which I haven't answer.
From your comment in post above ...
Quote:
I think that OP is looking at a very small portion of the working population and seeing something that is not represented in the larger world.
Could be because the small portion shrunk and is no longer engaged in the workforce. Also, could be a portion of people within that age group, began their own business, or they went back to college.
The stats point to a trend that perhaps the OP along with other people noticed within their companies and others. To say those stats are not in context with the OP discussion ... is malarkey.
My emphasis prior post in bold ... and the question that the OP asked "Do people in their 30's and 40's work?? " a long with another question " What happened to these workers, they just arent hirable?.
According to those stats, there are less of them in the workforce. The OP also asks, what do theses people do? That is a very good question, one in which I haven't answer.
From your comment in post above ...
Could be because the small portion shrunk and is no longer engaged in the workforce. Also, could be a portion of people within that age group, began their own business, or they went back to college.
The stats point to a trend that perhaps the OP along with other people noticed within their companies and others. To say those stats are not in context with the OP discussion ... is malarkey.
Actually, the stats show that the labor force participation rate among this group has been climbing in the recent past.
Plus, even the groups with the largest declines in participation, men and women with a high school education or less, have not plummeted as OP implies, they have declined just a few percentage points.
Men in this demographic have declined from a participation rate of about 88% in 2000 down to 85% now, women in the same demographic have gone from 70% to about 65%
I do think that these drops are significant, particularly as the more educated groups are more stable, but it is a far cry from asking if people, as a group, in the demographic are no longer working
Start your own business so that you're not beholden to anyone else. Then no one will fire you and you won't have to worry about getting hired somewhere. Work to learn, but once you have the skill set go out and start your own gig.
You (and others on this forum) make it sound SO easy to just start a business - let alone one that won't fail within a year, as the majority do. It's not easy, particularly if you don't have the personality for management/business.
Quote:
Originally Posted by InchingWest
If you're in your 40's you should have some savings set aside and be at least somewhat stable, own your own home, etc. If not.....how would you like me to go back in time to help you get on the path?
Can you go back in time and tell my parents not to move us to the Bay Area? Thanks!
I'm not entirely kidding, because thanks to being raised (and thus wanting to remain) here, I am now a 42 year-old working professional who still rents and has basically no savings. I'm okay with that, since I have a vested pension + other funds secured for retirement, and earn enough to support my current lifestyle... but again, you're making a situation sound much easier than it is for a lot of folks. "Should have" and "should be" are empty phrases, with little consideration to the nuances and challenges of real life. Just sayin'.
And to answer the OP, I know it was kind of a rhetorical question, but yes - of course people in their 30s & 40s are working! I'm at work (on a break) right now, in fact.
But it definitely depends on your industry, since there are some where you'll have trouble finding anyone over 35. The tech companies around here, for example, tend to attract and employ the younger set. Whereas in my line of work, anyone under 50 is considered a young'un. Seriously.
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