Work For Over 60’s – Still Dyeing My Hair!!

“The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.” Lucille Ball

It was 7 years ago when I first started writing on matters of interest to ‘GrownUps’, that is, people over 50. That first article was titled Dye Your Hair – Get A Job!

I was talking about some of the myths we have about retirement and in particular the barriers we may face getting paid work. 

So what has changed since then? The bubble is bigger!

In most countries there is now a larger proportion of people aged over 60 staying in the work force and more people looking for work.  

For various reasons we may wish (or often need) to keep working after we have started receiving retirement allowances. The reasons can be financial or social, or just to have something to do that makes us want to jump out of bed each morning. 

Is it easier to find work now?

As we approach ‘retirement age’, we may get advice about the options ahead of us.  Should we look for a part time job? How about study to do something new? What about volunteering? Is it better to continue to do what we the work we already doing? And there are many other choices that people may suggest. 

Employers are encouraged to employ older workers. They are told that older workers have very many assets. These include:

– a strong work ethic

– having fewer accidents

– dealing with customers well

– taking fewer days off

A further advantage is that the workplace will retain a high level of skills and knowledge. 

However, a recent report by the Equal Employment Trust in New Zealand identified a number of negative stereotypes and attitudes to older workers in workplaces. Being unwilling to adapt to change, lacking technology skills and an inability to do the job were cited in the report. Such attitudes seem to be played out when older people are seeking work. 

People I have worked with often talk about the unsuccessful searches for work they have had. I hear stories of skilled people who are often short-listed for jobs but when they turn up to interviews are not successful.  Sometimes people have succeeded in getting work, but at a very low skill level than they are capable of. 

Are older workers getting a fair deal?

All developed countries are grappling with the best ways of working with increasingly large numbers of older people in their societies.  Governments are often ‘warned ‘of the impending large numbers of ‘dependent’ older people, the costs to society and the need to prepare for this social  change. I have heard this change referred to as a ‘grey tsunami’!

The irony is that the one thing that provides self-worth and a highway out of dependence for baby boomers, namely meaningful work, is very often being denied or becomes unattainable to many older people.  

People cannot be discriminated against on the grounds of age in most western countries. However, if we hold a mirror up to many developed societies it is clear that it is becoming increasingly difficult for older people to find work.  

At some point, when the number of out-of-work baby boomers increases to a level where the rest of the society can longer support their retirement incomes, we can be assured there will be change. But do we want to wait until then? 

“The land of easy mathematics where he who works adds up and he who retires subtracts.” Núria Añó

Read more from Ron Tustin here