Sometimes, with the right kind of facilitation, challenging problems can be brought together and effectively cancel each other out.
That’s the encouraging possibility represented by the designation of the last week in September as National Employ Older Workers Week.
Among the growing needs facing us as a nation in the years ahead is the fact that more and more older workers are having increasing difficulty finding employment that can lift them out of poverty, or keep them out of it in the first place. According to a study by the AARP Public Policy Institute, fully one-third of jobseekers who are 55 or older have been unemployed for six months or more. That’s a category known as long-term unemployment, and it feeds on itself in a very negative way: The longer you’ve been out of the workforce, the harder it is to find your way back in.
In addition, there are 13 million older, low-wage workers who need opportunities to continue to build their skills so they can advance in their jobs and careers. And there’s little funding available to make that happen.
At the same time, the percentage of working age adults is on a steady decline, largely because of the aging of the boomer generation. Employers are finding it increasingly difficult to find enough workers qualified to do the jobs they have available.
As important as it is to encourage businesses to realize the value of older workers with raising-awareness campaigns like National Employ Older Workers Week, we have to do more. The solution also involves helping older jobseekers attain new skills and connecting them with employers who need those skills. And older adults who are working need skill-building that will enable them to keep up with the demands of today’s employers.
AARP Foundation runs workforce programs that do just that, fulfilling our mission to increase economic opportunity for older adults in order to reduce poverty. The Senior Community Service Employment Program, or SCSEP, helps unemployed older workers reenter the workforce by matching them with community service jobs that help them build skills and regain confidence. It also connects them with local employers looking to benefit from experienced workers. The program has a wonderful success rate of returning seniors to full employment: Last year, some 65 percent of AARP Foundation SCSEP participants left the program to enter full-time employment.
BACK TO WORK 50+ also focuses on skills building, training and mentoring, working with community colleges to coach older jobseekers. It also makes that vital connection by providing access to employers. That’s how Lisa Edmond, 60, went from a difficult period of unemployment to a job in customer service. After attending BACK TO WORK 50+ workshops, she went to a recruiting event the program helped facilitate and was offered a position on the spot.
She loves it: “In the beginning, they had to force me to take breaks. I’m the kind of person that eats at my desk — just put a bed in my office, I’ll never leave!”
What employer wouldn’t want that level of dedication and commitment?
Lots of organizations besides my own are running programs like these to match the growing supply of older workers with the increasing demand for well-trained employees — to solve these two needs in a symbiotic way. There’s still a need, though, for more philanthropic organizations to get involved in skill-building programs for low-income workers.
I encourage you to learn more about the possibilities. If you’re looking for work or need to brush up your skills, it could make a huge difference. And if you’re looking for workers, consider someone 50 or older!