Monday August 11th, 2008
Older Workers: Forget the Hair Dye and Botox

Are you a baby boomer looking for a new job? If so, don't open this bottle of hair dye just yet.

If you're worried about competing with younger workers, forget about the facelift, the hair color and even the botox treatment you've scheduled. According to a new study, your time will be better spent dusting off your dimploma, not trying to look younger.

New research from the Urban Institute says the fastest-growing occupations that already draw most of their employees from workers over the age of 55 rely on brains, not brawn.

Jobs are less physically demanding now than they were just three decades ago and less likely to entail difficult working conditions. Between 1971 and 2007 the percentage of jobs with great physical demands declined from 8.0 to 6.6 percent. The percentage of jobs requiring skills that show a high cognitive ability grew from 26.5 to 36 percent.

Since people working in these "high cognitative" professions have to inspire trust in the community and among customers, wrinkles and grey hair might even be a benefit.

Consider the list of these fast-growing professions for older workers: personal financial advisors, veterinarians, social and community service managers, surveyors, environmental scientists and geoscientists, registered nurses, and instructional coordinators. The list also includes postsecondary teachers, archivists and curators, social workers, management analysts, pharmacists, counselors, and business operation specialists.

Of all professions, the fastest-growing area that is friendliest to older workers are personal and home care aides. Other categories that require less education include ushers, animal trainers, locksmiths, and brokerage clerks.

According to the institute, each of these fields is expected to see its workforce grow by least 20 percent by 2016. The portion of older workers filling these jobs will surpass the 17 per cent of all workers.

The study,“Will Employers Want Aging Boomers?” by Gordon B.T. Mermin, Richard W. Johnson, and Eric J. Toder, uses data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment and Training Administration, and Census Bureau.

Tags

career   careers   change   competing   older   second   with   workers   younger  

Permalink

http://www.head2head.ca/blog.php?pl=35c768bac8080483bda894fb815d6d9b

Comments

Kate - August 13th 2008 3:42 AM
 
I really do wonder how much age discrimination features in hiring decisions.

Marisa - August 22nd 2008 10:26 AM
 
I know from working retail that age discrimination definitely plays a part (sadly) in the hiring process, and this happens at both ends. Teenagers who are too young either won't be hired or won't be given extra duties, not because they're unqualified or unable to complete the job, but simply because they're "too young" - even though the government already has age laws in place!

I've seen the older end get similar discrimination: not getting hired because they might not stay long-term (even though the young students don't either), or not getting hired because the manager doesn't think the worker will be able to handle standing on their feet in a retail environment. And even though there are some retail stores that will hire the older people, take a look at the retail stores targeted towards teenage girls and tell me if you see any 60 year olds working there.

I am glad that there are industries available for these workers after seeing the discrimination again and again.

About the Authors

Paul Dodd
Co-founder and President
Head2Head Canada

Paul has one simple goal: To help companies hire great people - and get the most out of every recruiting dollar they spend. That's why he's recognized as one of the best recruitment-industry thinkers in Canada.

Links

Archives

Tags

Tag Cloud

RSS Feed

RSS Feed