I hear ya on that one about being slower. At the job I have now in the stock room, they expect us to deliver the merchandise out onto the sales floor in 15 min! and it is impossible because we have these stack able bins of 5 and we have to attach a security tag to each item and place a sticker seal on the packages. So many times they came looking for me to see why it is taking so long, I have been written up about 4 or 5 times in the past year and a half. Everything has to be done fast! I wish I can get into an office job, I am just too old for this kind of work.
Finding work here is more difficult. Although the US economy is not that good but I guess it is far easier to find a job there particularly for the middle aged and seniors. Job seekers at age 40 would most likely apply for working abroad because his chances of finding a job here is almost nil. Although companies would say they don't discriminate applicants, it is an unwritten rule that age matters in HR departments. When my husband resigned from his last permanent job, he was past 40 so we had accepted that the situation. It was just fortunate that he was hired as a technical consultant by a small non-profit organization. But I know of so many middle aged who are jobless. What more with senior citizens?
When I worked with younger people at the age of 50 and again in voluntary work when I was approaching 60, I had far more stamina than most of them. They were the ones taking time off for health reasons and kept turning up bleary-eyed in the mornings when I was full of energy and rarely had a day off for illness. As for learning new things - I graduated with a BA degree after the age of 50. At the age of 18 -21 I was not capable of achieving that level of understanding. Unfortunately this false concept about older people is what is preventing employers from understanding that someone our age can be mentally and physically more capable than someone half our age. Many of us can and do work faster and can contribute more because of our previous work experience.
I agree that this is a false concept and the wording "senior citizen" is old and not speaking to the current group of people that have passed their 50th birthday. I worked part time in a restaurant as a server another older woman and I would work circles around the much younger staff and make more money than they did. Most of the younger people would not work with us saying we worked them to hard. Because of the difficulty of find outside employment as I aged I have been more inclined to be self employed one way or another.
Seems that everywhere is having the same problems of employment. Locally on Oahu back in 2009 when Target was opening up there were 5,000 people applying for 500 jobs. Companies closing up or retiring is also a bad sign. J. C. Penney's has only one store opened on the Windward side and Sears followed them. These are big stores that always do well, until recently. Times are changing and are bad for employment. People are still looking just can't find jobs. Welfare laws changed and many became or becoming homeless. Now the people elected are trying to make laws to stop homelessness by being cruel. The homeless are fighting back with a law suit against the City. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/sep/16/aclu-planning-to-sue-honolulu-over-homeless-camp-s/ It seems that cruelty doesn't work. The homeless don't have transportation to get to shelters. The City does this sweep to clean up and the homeless come back again over and over again. The City throws away peoples belongings when they do their sweeps. It's a sad situation locally. It's so sad when you think that you try so hard looking for a job and did not find one and it's not your fault. I hope things change and jobs become abundant again. Good luck!!!
I’m no longer in the job market, thank goodness. But I just wanted to add some comments, FWIW. I've participated in several job hunting forums where a lot of people talked about their frustrations. While I know age discrimination exists, there are SO many other factors. One thing is that it’s become a numbers game – over the past ….oh, I’d say 10 yrs or so things have tightened up drastically. Lots of companies going out of business, many existing companies and organizations rethinking their staffing decisions. Often when someone retires, moves, resigns, or even dies, an employer won’t replace the person. Instead they’ll combine their duties with another job and/or make others pitch in. Whether it be private sector, non-profit, or government things aren’t the way they used to be and never will be the same. The "good ole days" are gone. I’ve heard countless stories – on and offline – of people sending hundreds of resumes and filling out applications until their hands cramp. Then they wait and wait and get maybe 1 or 2 interviews over the course of several months. In addition to applying for posted/advertised jobs, I think networking is crucial. Somebody might know or be related to someone who knows of an upcoming job vacancy. I also advise people to make a list of 10 places they think they might want to work. (small or mid size) Do some homework. If they have a website study it. Find out the name(s) of hiring authorities (as opposed to just “HR” where you will be one on a pile of several dozen or more). Send an email and ask for a 10 minute “information interview” – no strings. Send a follow up thanking them for their time and reiterating your interest, and make sure to let them know why you would be an asset. Then make a list of 10 more - lather, rinse, repeat.
Speaking of jobless, my husband meets a lot of unemployed in the movie industry. Some are directors, assistant directors, cinematographers and other workers in movie production. When the digital technology arrived and the digital piracy started destroying the integrity of music an movies by copying, the movie producers became scarce. With the less movies, the workers lost their livelihood. And to think that they are not regular workers so they have no social security to speak of. It's pathetic that some of those aged movie industry workers would be visiting the office of my husband in the hope of being handed lunch money.
@Lynne Prestwood Hi Lynne, welcome to the forum. I have friends in their 50s who have had difficulty finding jobs. One I worked with for years up in New England. She doesn't move as fast as some, because she grew up on 'island time' in the Carribbean, and moves at a slower pace than many, but she is a good person, intelligent, and dedicated. She doesn't have a college degree, and I've seen her struggling from one job to another since her job where we worked ended. Most of the ones she's been able to get involve physical labor, and like Lynne, she isn't up to it. I think the last time I saw a flush economy with everyone I knew who wanted a decent job to have one was back in the 1980s. Ever since then, many have been struggling. Even when they could get jobs, the jobs weren't the same sort they would have had prior to the 1990s. Another former co-worker (from that same job) is working part time for UPS, I believe. He's college educated, and attended a good school, but is unable to find a full time job. He's fortunate to have a mom with 2 homes who lets him live in one, because much of his income supports his child from a previous marriage. I have another friend who works in retail and struggles on minimum wage. She juggles grandparent duties while taking care of an ill/injured parent and spouse. I just don't see the economy improving, and it's scary to see good people who are hard workers, struggling just to get along on a daily basis. This is definitely not the same economy my parents raised us in.
For me what I find hardest about finding a job is that all the jobs I am interested in doing now require a collage degree. When I was young and filled with energy I worked long hours standing on my feet or moving at a fast pace to get things done. But now I am much older and on disability, and find the jobs available are not suited to my abilities. I can not stand for long periods of time nor can I do math as well as I used too, or handle crowds of people. So my choices are limited. I am not into calling people on the telephone as in sales or marketing, or being a cashier or bag stuffer at the market. I had hoped to find a few online jobs but most of them do not supply enough money to pay bills every month. So I understand the worries and concerns of other job seekers, as well as the ones that hold on to jobs just so they can afford to pay their bills. It is harder for us older folks to get and keep jobs with so many people who are unemployed looking for work.
If Socialist Bernie Sanders gets elected as President, it will be the death of capitalism-- the money generating legal citizens backbone of the American society. Big and small business will close down because of 90% tax regulations and paying for all the free-stuff. Employment will ever be the worst kind since the Third Reich, Venezuela and Central American progressive socialist infested democrats. On a brighter side, all legal American citizens should vote and fight for your rights as U.S. Constitutional citizens to topple the illegals being allowed to vote under the Amnesty code. That's where Obama got his votes seven years ago. Vote! Vote! Then, the Americans can have their rightful jobs back.
I have met a former colleague last week in the market. She's just a bit older than me but her white hair made her look very old. She had retired at age 55 and now does nothing. How about the finances? She's trying to live off from her meager retirement. And although she needs a job, she doesn't have the courage to look for one. She used to work in the general services department of a bank. Even if I wanted to help her, I don't think there would be a vacancy for her.
She is lucky because she has had office working experience. Any place of office jobs would be a place for her to apply.. Sometimes tax offices need extra help answering the phones or even working at home making calls would be something she could do.
@Corie Henson - There are tons of people with office skills and experience who can't find anything. Are there temp services where she could get some assignments to try to get a foot in the door? Or even day labor places where she could do packaging, light cleaning, etc. just to earn some money while looking? As I mentioned upthread, applying is the easy part. Getting an interview and actually getting hired is the hard part. I’d suggest she do some research nnd contact some places on her own - places that haven't advertised an opening - and try to talk with someone who has hiring authority. Applying often results in being in a large stack of applications. If the jobs aren’t there, they aren’t there. But taking the time and initiative to ask a hiring authority for 10 minutes for an "information interview" might result in them keeping a person in mind for a later opening.
There is place on line to search for work as a temp or assistant office worker, as well as many other types of jobs. It is called workersonboard.com They have all kinds of jobs listed and thou it pays to check before you leap I have found most of the links are honest. The main thing is to never pay to get a job. Sites that require money up front are scams. Do background checks through the Better Business agency to be sure of a companies reputation before going to work for them. Doing surveys is another way to earn good money. There are some that offer focus groups and pay well for a hour long interview on the telephone or online.