Seniors Struggle to Find Employment

As the presidential elections steadily approach, both political candidates have been putting a lot of focus on retirees in the state of Florida. And, while that is definitely something that should be focused on, it is believed that the candidates should take a look at a different group, aside from retirees, which includes seniors. The United States Government Accountability Office has stated that employees over that age of 55 years old have been dealing with long-term unemployment for quite a while now, specifically since the start of the recession. Even though older employees have less of a chance of being fired or laid off, especially after holding positions for quite a long time, if they are laid off or terminated for any reason, these individuals often have the toughest time finding employment.

The Government Accountability Office looked into the matter and found that part of the reason older workers have a hard time finding a new position is because employers automatically assume that the older individuals will expect or even demand to receive a higher salary than they can afford. Employers also feel older individuals will not feel as comfortable when they are expected to report to bosses who are younger than them. It is also believed that older individuals are not necessarily as good with computers as the younger generation, which adds on to the reason that these individuals are not being hired as quickly for new positions.

The founder of the Association of Mature American Citizens, Dan Weber, said, “We have over 400,000 members in our organization and 90 percent of our members have joined online, so that debunks that.” He believes that many of the mature American citizens are becoming more familiar with computers, especially now more than ever before. Weber believes that older individuals are actually the best employees when it comes down to absences and tardiness, stating that in most cases, they are basically present most of the time and on time most of the time as well. Even so, some employers are concerned that older employees would have more health issues, leading to more days out from work due to illnesses. The coordinator of Experience Works Employment and Training, Lorna Garrow, agrees with Weber and says that medical and health related concerns should not prevent employers from hiring older workers. Experience Works is an organization that looks to help these older workers to ensure they have the skills that are needed to get certain jobs done. Garrow says that the entire purpose of the program is to help people but unfortunately, the program does not receive enough funding to help out all of the older workers.