The article linked below addresses how older workers/job seekers continue to face age discrimination by employers. I listed some key takeaways below:
Ageism at work is a global concern
Ageism is overlooked as a prejudice
45+-year-old job seekers...63% have been out of work for over 1 year.
45+ who are hired, 87% perform as well or better than younger employees
DEI applies to older people as well. Ageism is counter to diversity, is inequitable and noninclusionary!
I find this interesting and very discouraging! Two people I know who are 50+-year-old unemployed/underemployed job seekers had/have similar experiences. For one, 15 months and over 200 jobs applied to, finally found a job with significantly less money, but was let go 1 month later for not being a "cultural fit". Now back to looking for work. The other, now nearly 10 months and 200 applications later, is still searching.
Both have Master's degrees in their field.
Both resumes were professionally designed
Both had multiple virtual interviews and a few in-person.
Many positions required online assessments with no feedback on results.
Most employers, not all, confirm receipt of the application materials. Many do not confirm or respond at all.
Many employers do not require cover letters and some do not have a way of submitting one. Both submit cover letters if the option is available.
Many, if not most, of the jobs, require an uploaded resume, then have you retype all your previous employment, education, etc. (would you as an employer accept your employees having to do the same task twice for the same result?)
Both seek higher-level jobs that require 10-20 years' experience (VP, Director, COO...)
The COVID** pandemic made sense of why it has been so hard to find suitable work. However, the rhetoric lately has been employers can't find employees...in fact, employers are saying they are struggling because of the lack of applicants. Where are these jobs?
**BTW...COVID has not gone away and the current delta variant is apparently
responsible for a large uptick in the US.
Well, if you are looking for $12-$20/hr. jobs, there are plenty. Restaurant workers, retail clerks, warehouse workers, manufacturing, and others have many, many openings. Below is a wage breakdown:
$12/hr. = $480/wk and $25K/year. Subtract taxes and health premiums* and maybe 401K deductions, take-home pay might be around $300/week...maybe less.
* Not to mention the high deductibles required now by most plans where you have to
meet an $8,000/$10,000 out of pocket before the plan pays for RX or medical care!!
$15/hr. = $600/wk and $31,000/yr. Take-home pay...$400/week and change?
$20/hr. = $800/wk and $41,500/yrs. Take-home pay...$500 and change?
Are these types of scenarios sustainable? If you have a mortgage/rent, car(s) payment, groceries, home/car repair, cable/internet/phone, etc., how sustainable are these jobs? How about families that send children to private school or college? (You may remember the cost of textbooks!) Hopefully, a spouse is working as well and in many cases, the souse has to work and both parents may have to work more than one job! Who is raising the kids?
Here in CT, full-time jobs paying under $15/hr are less than what residents can collect on unemployment. It is one thing is you have exhausted benefits and need an income. It's entirely another issue f you earned much more than that and now have to accept a cut in pay. Where do you cut expenses? Sell or walk away from your home or car? Move the kids to public schools. Uproot to another city or state?
Keep in mind the less money people earn, the less they spend and put back into our communities and the larger economy.
Now...add dementia to the mix and the opportunities for work are even scarcer.
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