2011
C arEErS E ditiOn
for older Workers, employment is scarce, not impossible
By Brian Stimson
of The Skanner News
F
or many Oregonians,
the dream of the golden
years of retirement —
those leisurely days filled
with nothing to do but watch
Wheel of Fortune and fret
about kids walking on your
pristine lawn – well, they’ve
gone the way of the three
martini lunch.
From 1977 to 2007, the
number of workers aged 65
and older has doubled. For
those 75 and older, while
making up less than one per-
cent of employed people in
2007, employment has
increased 172 percent. In
2009, there were more people
aged 55 and over in the labor
market than has been since
March of 1962.
Since 1995, there have also
been more seniors employed
in full time positions than
ever before. It may come as
no surprise, but those older
Americans who find them-
selves in need, or want, of a
job often have a harder time
finding one, according to the
Bureau of Labor and
ment’s Senior Community
Service
Employment
Program, pairs low-income
seniors with paid community
service training jobs and then
helps them find unsubsidized
In Oregon, Marietta Schlumpf of
Seniors Make Sense, helps those
reentering the job market gain
much-needed experience and
confidence
Statistics.
In
Oregon,
Marietta
Schlumpf of Seniors Make
Sense, helps those reentering
the job market gain much-
needed experience and confi-
dence. Schlumpf’s program,
part of the federal govern-
employment.
But like anything in this
“jobless recovery,” this pro-
gram isn’t able to help all of
those who need it.
“Our funding was cut 25
percent
nationally,”
Schlumpf told The Skanner
News. “That means that sud-
denly we had to put a freeze
on new people.”
Since the fall of 2010, there
has been a waiting list for
seniors seeking employment
assistance. That list has since
grown to over 300 people
who need skills and a job.
In rural areas of the state,
things aren’t any better. The
organization that handles the
federal senior employment
program for rural counties,
Experience Works, says they
face additional hurdles.
Director Mary Miller says
many seniors they serve face
problems relating to home-
lessness, food insecurity,
transportation and health care
access that aren’t easily
solved in areas short on serv-
ices.
Like all of the federal gov-
ernment’s programs to pro- 125 percent of the federal poverty line. Many are
vide seniors with paid com- turned away.
munity service work, partici-
“We had a lady who made 38 cents over in a year,”
pants are limited to making Miller said. “We couldn’t serve her.”
Both Miller and Schlumpf say the
community service program helps
employers realize the benefits of hir-
ing older workers. It also helps sen-
iors acclimate to the modern day
workplace and brush away insecuri-
ties they may have about their abili-
ties and own self worth.
“As employer’s have aged, they’ve
become much fonder for older work-
ers,” Miller said. She said many sen-
iors have strong work ethics, take the
job very seriously and build their life
around a job. For employers hiring
part-timers, they could do a lot
worse.
Schlumpf blames misconceptions
of older workers as a major part of
the unemployment problem. Worries
about learning, memory and
longevity are overblown.
As for older workers themselves,
she said they shouldn’t give up on
the job search, even though it is tak-
ing much longer than in years past.
“It’s important, no matter what,
even though it’s hard, to stay posi-
tive,” she said. “That does seem to
make a difference.”
She said it’s also important to get
out of the house and circulate with
other people.
“I think people do better to go out
to where employers are looking for
employees,” she said.
Interested in a Career in the Hospitality, Food and Beverage Industry?
The Community Café Program is Seeking Applicants
Metro and the Oregon Convention Center
have joined with food and beverage
industry leader, ARAMARK/ Giacometti
Partners Ltd, to offer a workforce training
opportunity for individuals facing barriers
to pursuing a culinary or restaurant
management career through a café on the
Metro Regional Center grounds.
Selected
candidates
will gain
firsthand
experience
in operating
a small café
including:
• customer service
• Human Resources
• supervising personnel
• scheduling
• employee leadership
• food production and service
• food safety and hygiene
• menu engineering
• sales and marketing
Visit http://www.oregoncc.org/communitycafe for application and additional information
Hours and schedule will be event based and will include early mornings, late nights and some weekends.
Selected candidates must agree to the expectation that the schedule will vary based on business needs.
page 4 The Skanner Careers Edition June 8, 2011