{"id":2674,"date":"2013-02-06T06:53:43","date_gmt":"2013-02-06T10:53:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=2674"},"modified":"2013-02-06T06:53:43","modified_gmt":"2013-02-06T10:53:43","slug":"forbes-why-older-workers-cant-be-ignored","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=2674","title":{"rendered":"Forbes: Why Older Workers Can&#8217;t Be Ignored"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 13px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/forbes2.gif?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1433\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?attachment_id=1433\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/forbes2.gif?fit=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"300,300\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"forbes\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/forbes2.gif?fit=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/forbes2.gif?fit=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1433\" alt=\"forbes\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/forbes2.gif?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/forbes2.gif?w=300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/forbes2.gif?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>The day is coming when employers are going to embrace the value of older workers.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"leftRail\">\n<p>They don\u2019t have a choice. There are, however, some sober challenges which I discuss below.<\/p>\n<p>The growing presence of older Americans in the workforce is a fact.\u00a0Our economy is already relying increasingly on \u00a050-plusers working\u2013even if we don\u2019t always feel the love from our employers.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The percentage of people 65 and older in the labor force increased from 12.1 percent in 1990 to 16.1 percent in 2010. The increase was greater for women, according to\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.census.gov\/prod\/2013pubs\/acsbr11-09.pdf\" data-ls-seen=\"1\">new analysis<\/a>\u00a0of Census data.<\/li>\n<li>The Census also projects a 67% increase in the 65-and-older population between 2015 and 2040, when one in five Americans will be 65 or older,<\/li>\n<li>The Sloan Center on Aging &amp; Work at Boston College\u00a0says that by 2019, workers 55 and older will comprise\u00a025 percent of the workforce.<\/li>\n<li>The Urban Institute predicts workers 50 years and older will account for 35 percent of the labor force by 2019.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<aside data-position=\"4\">\n<div>As I write in my new book,\u00a0<em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1118203682?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=kerrhann-20&amp;linkCode=xm2&amp;creativeASIN=1118203682\" data-ls-seen=\"1\">Great Jobs for Everyone 50+,<\/a><\/em>\u00a0retirement at 65 is pass\u00e9. \u00a0People want to keep working for two very core reasons\u2013the mental engagement and for the income. We\u2019re living longer healthier lives, and no one wants to outlive their money.\u00a0And thankfully, we have souped-up replacement joints and memory-jogging drugs to make it even easier.<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p><strong>Living longer means working longer<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This is great news for the economy. Really.<\/p>\n<p>Older workers with earnings boost payments into Social Security, and they spend on all kinds of things from meals out to clothing to vacations which keeps the economic engine purring.<\/p>\n<p>From an employer\u2019s perspective, older workers contribute experience and are often willing to work part-time. And you know what that means\u2013employers are generally spared from shelling out for pesky benefits like medical insurance.<\/p>\n<p>On the surface, employers get it. At least they\u2019re giving lip service to the realization that something new is afoot. A joint poll by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and AARP shows that more than seven in 1o human resource professionals polled say the loss of talented older workers is \u00a0\u201ca problem\u201d or \u00a0\u201ca potential problem\u201d for their organizations.<\/p>\n<p>They plan to hire retired employees as consultants or temporary workers, offer flexible work arrangements and design part-time positions to attract older workers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>(More<\/strong>:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/kerryhannon\/2012\/04\/19\/who-says-were-retiring-later-older-workers-are-speeding-off-the-exit-ramps\/\" data-ls-seen=\"1\">Employers Really Value Older Workers<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DT2gl8HU_bk\" height=\"312\" width=\"415\" frameborder=\"0\" data-orig-height=\"365\" data-orig-width=\"485\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>But most aren\u2019t doing anything\u2013yet.<\/p>\n<p>Corporate executives and policy makers would be wise to focus on how they can \u00a0keep older workers productively on the job longer.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Here\u2019s why.<\/strong>\u00a0As the economy gains momentum, plenty of jobs will be created between now and 2030, and there will not be enough younger workers to fill the need as millions of boomers leave the workforce.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Unmapped demographic terrain<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>This may sound ridiculous at a time when U.S. unemployment floats around 8%.\u00a0Workplace experts, however, \u00a0predict that there will be a future shortage of trained workers for key jobs in a broad swath of professions from education to engineering to healthcare and beyond. Older workers will need not only to stay on the job, but have core training to stay relevant.<\/p>\n<p>Here are the challenges:<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. Who is going to pay for that training?<\/strong>\u00a0Most labor market experts I have interviewed say the government and private employers need to ramp up more training programs for older workers and create workplaces that make it easier for them to do their jobs.<\/p>\n<p>Employers don\u2019t want to spend for it. They\u2019ve already cut to the bone to stay competitive globally in recent years and this kind of spending is a tough sell.<\/p>\n<p>Conceivably, as I discussed as a panel member at a recent Federal Reserve Workforce Development conference, one way to provide the needed training is through the community college system. The coursework could be offered \u00a0at an affordable cost for the worker. Depending on who foots the bill, employers or employeees could receive tax incentives to ease the tuition bill.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. What skills will we need?<\/strong>\u00a0There\u2019s a palpable need for employers to provide a roadmap, so we\u2019re all pulling in the same direction.\u00a0The key will be for employers to cast an eye to the future and identify what skills need to be ramped up so older workers can stay on the job productively.<\/p>\n<p>The training disconnect already exists. I speak frequently to 50+ workers around the country about the need to keep their skills up-to-date and to constantly being adding to their toolkit to keep a toehold in the workplace.<\/p>\n<p>Many are willing to add the training at their own cost, but have no idea what they should be concentrating on, where the demand will be, and how much they should invest in their future.<strong>3. How can we retrofit the workplace?<\/strong>\u00a0An aging population is inevitable, but that doesn\u2019t have to mean a drop off in productivity. Here\u2019s a great example of what one employer has done.<\/p>\n<p>Management at BMW\u2019s plant in Dingolfing, Germany\u00a0anticipated the average age of workers to increase from 39 years in 2007 to 47 years in 2017, I first learned about this effort in a Harvard Business Review r<a href=\"http:\/\/hbr.org\/2010\/03\/the-globe-how-bmw-is-defusing-the-demographic-time-bomb\/ar\/1\" data-ls-seen=\"1\">eport.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>To get a grip on how to cope with an older worker, the automaker rejiggered an assembly line and staffed it with a mix of workers typical for 2017.<\/p>\n<p>These were BMW small ergonomic design and equipment changes, such as new wooden floors, special orthopedic shoes, adding barbershop-type chairs so workers can work sitting down and the installation of magnifying lenses to help workers distinguish among small parts, reducing eyestrain and mistakes.\u00a0In addition, a physiotherapist developed strength and stretching exercises for the workers to do on a daily basis while on the job.<\/p>\n<p>The 70 changes which cost about $50,000 to implement increased productivity by 7 percent in one year, bringing the line on a par with lines in which workers were, on average, younger. The company is now testing and refining these kinds of changes in plants in the United States, Germany, and Austria. The goal is to incorporate it across BMW\u2019s global manufacturing organization.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4. How can we change employer attitudes toward older workers?\u00a0<\/strong>Older job seekers may want to work and need to work, but it\u2019s tough sledding when it comes to landing new positions. I\u2019ve studied this phenomenon extensively, interviewed and consulted with hundreds of workers 50 + who are struggling to land a job.<\/p>\n<p>The pump the brakes approach to employing or reemploying older persons is rarely discussed, but ever present beneath the surface. It\u2019s not politically correct to actually verbalize that form of discrimination. But it lingers.<\/p>\n<p>Right now, many employers don\u2019t feel \u00a0the need to woo older workers and are unlikely to adapt until they do. But as the labor market constricts, as I see it, older workers will have more say in choosing the kind of \u00a0jobs they do, when, and how they work.<\/p>\n<p>So to older workers, I relay this quote posted by my friend and career expert<a href=\"http:\/\/www.keppiecareers.com\/\" data-ls-seen=\"1\">\u00a0Miriam Cohen Salpeter\u00a0<\/a>on Facebook and Pinterest:<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cIt\u2019s not who you are that holds you back, it\u2019s who you think you\u2019re not.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t think you are too old for the job. You\u2019re in the driver\u2019s seat. Just wait \u00a0for the light to change.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>More Forbes Fun:<\/p>\n<aside data-position=\"4\">\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/kerryhannon\/2013\/01\/13\/the-three-surprises-in-401ks\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs-images.forbes.com\/thumbnails\/blog_1185\/pt_1185_5860_o.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/kerryhannon\/2013\/01\/13\/the-three-surprises-in-401ks\/\">The Three Surprises in 401(k)s<\/a><cite><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.forbes.com\/kerryhannon\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Kerry Hannon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f3f21b8b227f89cf69f36f34d6a5ac60?s=40&amp;r=pg&amp;d=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs-images.forbes.com%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Favatars%2Fgeneric_profile_image_40.jpg\" \/><strong>Kerry Hannon<\/strong>Contributor<\/a><\/cite><\/div>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/kerryhannon\/2012\/12\/30\/all-i-really-need-to-know-for-2013-i-learned-from-my-labrador-retriever\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs-images.forbes.com\/thumbnails\/blog_1185\/pt_1185_5727_o.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/kerryhannon\/2012\/12\/30\/all-i-really-need-to-know-for-2013-i-learned-from-my-labrador-retriever\/\">All I Really Need to Know About Success I Learned From My Labrador Retriever<\/a><cite><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.forbes.com\/kerryhannon\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Kerry Hannon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f3f21b8b227f89cf69f36f34d6a5ac60?s=40&amp;r=pg&amp;d=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs-images.forbes.com%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Favatars%2Fgeneric_profile_image_40.jpg\" \/><strong>Kerry Hannon<\/strong>Contributor<\/a><\/cite><\/div>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/kerryhannon\/2012\/12\/23\/how-to-fight-age-discrimination\/\">How To Fight Age Discrimination<\/a><cite><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.forbes.com\/kerryhannon\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Kerry Hannon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f3f21b8b227f89cf69f36f34d6a5ac60?s=40&amp;r=pg&amp;d=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs-images.forbes.com%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Favatars%2Fgeneric_profile_image_40.jpg\" \/><strong>Kerry Hannon<\/strong>Contributor<\/a><\/cite><\/div>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/kerryhannon\/2012\/05\/18\/ten-things-to-do-when-you-lose-your-job\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/specials-images.forbes.com\/imageserve\/0erjbe27aRe21\/176x176.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/kerryhannon\/2012\/05\/18\/ten-things-to-do-when-you-lose-your-job\/\">Ten Things to Do When You Lose Your Job<\/a><cite><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.forbes.com\/kerryhannon\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Kerry Hannon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f3f21b8b227f89cf69f36f34d6a5ac60?s=40&amp;r=pg&amp;d=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs-images.forbes.com%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Favatars%2Fgeneric_profile_image_40.jpg\" \/><strong>Kerry Hannon<\/strong>Contributor<\/a><\/cite><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Follow me on Twitter,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/KerryHannon\" data-ls-seen=\"1\">@KerryHannon<\/a>\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0the author of<a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1118203682?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=kerrhann-20&amp;linkCode=xm2&amp;creativeASIN=1118203682\" data-ls-seen=\"1\">\u00a0Great Jobs for Everyone 50+: Finding Work That Keeps You Happy and Healthy \u2026 And Pays the Bills<\/a>\u00a0(<a title=\"John Wiley &amp; Sons\" href=\"http:\/\/www.wiley.com\/\" rel=\"homepage\" data-ls-seen=\"1\">John Wiley &amp; Sons<\/a>), available here\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/\" data-ls-seen=\"1\">www.kerryhannon.com<\/a>. Check out my\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.aarp.org\/work\/experts\/kerry-hannon\/\" data-ls-seen=\"1\">column\u00a0<\/a>at\u00a0AARP. My weekly column \u00a0at\u00a0<a title=\"Public Broadcasting Service\" href=\"http:\/\/www.pbs.org\/\" rel=\"homepage\" data-ls-seen=\"1\">PBS\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0NextAvenue.org is\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nextavenue.org\/expert\/kerry-hannon\" data-ls-seen=\"1\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - http:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"http:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-small.png?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top:5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"StumbleUpon\",\"Digg\",\"Reddit\",\"Bebo\",\"Delicious\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"small\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"Forbes: Why Older Workers Can&#039;t Be Ignored\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The day is coming when employers are going to embrace the value of older workers. They don\u2019t have a choice. There are, however, some sober challenges which I discuss below. The growing presence of older Americans in the workforce is a fact.\u00a0Our economy is already relying increasingly on \u00a050-plusers working\u2013even if we don\u2019t always feel [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - http:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"http:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-small.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top:5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"StumbleUpon\",\"Digg\",\"Reddit\",\"Bebo\",\"Delicious\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"small\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"Forbes: Why Older Workers Can&#039;t Be Ignored\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1433,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[59,95,6],"tags":[96,60,61],"class_list":["post-2674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-careers","category-older-workers-2","category-second-verse-blog-on-forbes-com","tag-ageism","tag-jobs","tag-older-workers"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/forbes2.gif?fit=300%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3YFQS-H8","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2674"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2674\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2680,"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2674\/revisions\/2680"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}