Keeping That Job

It’s a strange situation for a lot of Baby Boomers, a generation that grew up in bustling economic times.
A job wasn’t something we thought much about as we traveled through high school, vocational classes or college.
The economy in the 1960s and even early 1970s was strong. A job was something that just came naturally.
Most of us chose careers we were interested in. Something we had passion for. Or a field where we could change the world.
How times have changed.
The country is struggling to come out of its worst economic slump in 70 years. The employment rate is hovering at nine percent, higher in some regions and for some segments of the population.
Baby Boomers have an additional burden in this regard. Their age.
Companies, in general, are disinclined to hire or promote people over the age of 50. With a tight job market and our culture’s emphasis on youth, industry is even less open to bringing on someone who has passed the half-century mark.
There is one bright spot for the Baby Boom generation. At the moment, they are less likely to be laid off. In March, the unemployment rate for workers over the age of 45 was 6.4 percent. That’s the highest rate for that age group since 1948, but it’s still significantly less than the national average.
However, once older workers lose their jobs, it is much tougher to find a new one. The U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports laid-off workers over age 45 were out of work an average of 22 weeks in 2008, compared to 16 weeks for younger workers.
Those statistics are also higher than the recessions of 1983 and 2001, when workers over age 45 were unemployed for an average of 19 weeks and 17 weeks, respectively.
The situation is causing serious concern among Baby Boomers, a generation that doesn’t want to retire, much less can afford to do so.
The question… what do we do now?
One alternative is to fight back. Baby Boomers have apparently begun to do so. Age discrimination complaints were up 30 percent in 2008. However, those claims are tough to prove. They are also a divisive wedge between generations.
Another tact being tried by older workers is trimming their resume to hide their age or even dying their hair. Not sure this is the right path either. It’s demeaning and doesn’t attack the real problem.
I suggest a better solution. Baby Boomers should try to change the culture, something we have done over and over again in our lifetime.
The problem in the job market is experience and knowledge isn’t valued. Older workers are looked upon as expensive and past their prime. The stereotypes and jokes abound.
We need to alter the way seasoned employees are looked upon. We can do this not only by speaking up but also in the way we do our jobs. We can be the cost-effective employees who efficiently get their work done. We can be the co-workers who don’t complain much and offer sought-after advice to younger workers.
As a group, if we show employers we are worth the money they are spending on us, they will be inclined to keep us on the job.
That is not only good for our generation. It is good for the country and the workplace.