Wise Options for Older Workers

By Ann McCarthy

• Introduction
• Diversity and Adversity for Older Workers – the National Landscape
• Why do Older Workers need Special Consideration?
• The Pathways Program
• Particular Challenges for Older Workers
• Conclusions and Looking Ahead

As we reached the opening years of the third millennium, the Baby Boomers arrived into middle age. In fact, right now, in North America, a Baby Boomer turns 50 every 7.6 seconds! Boomers are the subject of much examination by policy-makers, educators, and marketing experts. Heedless of society’s investigations and expectations, many of them are struggling find a path in a labour market much changed from the one in which they cashed their first paycheques. They are faced with career blockage caused by low levels of formal education, family responsibilities which limit mobility, and fragile self esteem as a result of technological advances perceived to be beyond their understanding. Even those with significant labour market attachment face unemployment from the wrong side of the ‘digital divide’ because of low literacy skills. Yet older workers are the backbone of the Canadian workforce, and their career development is important to the world of enterprise as well as to the individual.

So, who are these Older Workers and what can be done for them?
As we look at a profile of workers in Canada, factors such as gender, age and skill-set can be used to define “older worker”. However, the common bond that unites older workers is experience

Diversity and Adversity for Older Workers – the National Landscape

All demographic statistics point to the fact that Canada’s population is aging. By 2016, the portion of Canada’s population aged 55+ will jump from 22% to 31%. The portion of the population younger than 25 will have decreased to 27%. Added to that, Canada’s labour force growth rate is projected to slow to a crawl in the next 15 years. Contrary to the predictions of David Foote, author of Boom, Bust and Echo, there will not be a “Bulge” to follow the Boomers! Demographic statistics prove it. There will be less and less young people entering the workplace during the next 15 years, because those young people just havn’t been born. David Baxter is the President of Urban Futures Institute in Vancouver, BC. His company specializes in analyzing economic and demographic data. He says, “It’s too late to use the cradle to address the labour shortage”. Some experts point to immigration as a solution. However, Australia, the United States and Europe will also be competing for skilled immigrants. Difficulties in skills credentialing for new immigrants to Canada will make the other countries a more profitable choice for them. Stats show that women live longer than men, and because of less than equal opportunities for high paying work, often have to work longer than men before they can afford to retire. Also, the only section of our population that is not decreasing is the First Nations populations of Western Canada. Because of these facts, we know that we are looking at a workforce that is older, includes more First Nations and immigrant workers, and is increasingly female.

Why do Older Workers need Special Consideration?

Quite simply, more workers WILL be older. As we face a serious skills shortage caused by the retirement of well-paid Baby Boomers, the alternate most employers face will be the hiring of other older workers. We, who are career practitioners, have long known about the particular concerns older workers face in their job search. For instance, men from primary industry backgrounds have extreme difficulty reentering the labour market and sustaining wages comparable to their previous levels. Unemployed older women are faced with significantly more barriers, and of course, in finding work with wage levels that enable them to live above the poverty line. The dynamics of mid life change, (and all that it encompasses) in combination with labour market change, makes it imperative that publicly funded programs respond to the unique needs of older workers, in a way which honours their needs, learning styles, and lifestyle responsibilities. Canadian business will suffer a decrease in productivity and competitiveness if the expertise, skills, energy, and experience of older workers are allowed to go to waste.

The Pathways Program

Career guidance programs specifically aimed at older workers started in Kamloops in 1995. The Pathways Program is funded by Human Resources Development Canada targets H.R.I.F. eligible individuals who are in career transition for a variety of reasons. These reasons could include: outdated skills, long-term one-industry attachment, health and physical concerns, lack of technology or literacy skills, or downsizing. In age, clients are almost equally divided between the 30 – 40, 40 – 50, and 50 – 60 age categories. Most clients have a grade 12 education level or less. We see approximately equal numbers of females as males. And, almost 35% of clients have some kind of health or physical concern which is the cause of their career transition.

The program is four weeks long and includes modules on Self Assessment and Skills Discovery, Career Research, and Goal Setting and Action Planning. Incorporated within the curriculum are resume and cover letter writing, portfolio development, job search techniques, and modules on communication, team building, and self-esteem as required.

Particular Challenges for Older Workers

Experience has shown that the challenges facing older workers fall within five primary categories, all of which can be traced back to some of the larger trends affecting our new millennium labour market. These five issues are: Emotional Wellness, Knowledge Gap, Literacy and Education, Digital Divide, and Health and Physical Concerns.

Emotional Wellness issues are reflected in the voices of clients: “I feel like I’m not contributing, I’m the only one I know who isn’t working.” Or, “ I keep making the wrong decisions.” Classroom work takes a multidisciplinary approach to dealing with emotional wellness concerns. Challenges are met by drawing on different theoretical frameworks as required. The promotion of a respectful, inclusive and safe training environment for all is the first consideration, and only rule. Introduction of the Job Loss Cycle, Motivation Theory, and Values Clarification components guide clients to self-awareness and an understanding of the transition process. Visioning workshops, access to solid information, and research and decision-making activities all demonstrate that choices and options are available. An awareness of transferable skills is developed through portfolio development, resume creation, and other classroom activities.

A significant barrier for older workers is the one of Knowledge Gap. Long term, one-industry attachment, resulting in a lack of recent and relevant Labour Market Information, is a common concern. Many older workers have never had a resume, nor have they heard about the job search and interviewing techniques now being used. Outdated ideas around gender equality or the roles of aboriginals and ethnic minorities may make them a liability in the workplace. Mobility is also a major concern for older workers. This includes mobility of skills, which may not be recognized in other provinces or workplaces, and personal mobility. Midlife workers are normally immersed in commitments. Their intimate relationships and community commitments make it difficult to relocate for work opportunities.

Common concerns are voiced so: “I’m experienced in many things, but qualified for nothing.” Or, “I don’t know what careers would suit me.” Comments such as, “I need to know what’s available and what kind of training I need” indicate a lack of LMI. Activities which introduce this necessary information include Community Scavenger Hunts for Resource People, as well as more traditional research options using the internet, and informational interviewing techniques. Guest speakers are invited into the classroom when necessary to widen the network of resources, as well as broaden accessibility and knowledge. Workshops on Human Rights, Employment Standards, and Career Research Presentations add to the LMI onslaught.

Literacy and Education Barriers surface so: “Why do I need a ticket when I’ve been working for 20 years?” Or, “I need to recive guidenese in choosing a job, and I need to lern how to spel.” These are the voices of our clients. Themes we deal with daily are echoed clearly in these statements. We see low levels of formal education, outdated skills, unrecognized experience, functional illiteracy, and sometimes, a heartbreaking assumption that getting a basic computer course will open doors to all kinds of possibilities in “high tech”.

Clients are introduced to resource people at the local university college, and other training institutions, in order to facilitate the back-to-school process. In our training room, all curriculum handouts are written at the grade 8 – 10 level and activities include modules on learning styles and multiple intelligences. Small group work, individual reflection, and one-on-one time with the instructors allow for appropriate processing of information. As much as possible, learning activities honour different learning styles and pace.

The Digital Divide is real threat to many older workers. Often, clients have managed to do everything but learn how to operate a computer, and for some, the fear is palpable. For others, it’s the final frontier to be conquered, and enthusiasm is high. Randy (his real name!) was a Forestry industry worker, a Faller since he was 14, who left school after grade 8 to go to work. When injury brought him reluctantly to the career planning process, the only thing that brought him to class every day was the computer training. Inadvertently left alone with a computer during his first “intro” session, we returned after 30 minutes to find him on eBay! During our program, various projects are assigned to assist clients with web surfing, e-submission of resumes, and educational research. Clients are then encouraged to develop their computer skills using an “each-one-teach-one” chain of competency.

Perhaps the most challenging concern for older workers is that of Health and Physical Injury or Disability. In BC, one in eight persons live with a disability, whether visible or invisible, and this fact is very much reflected in our client profiles. The practical aspects of classroom accommodation can be dealt with in a number of ways. Flexible schedules and frequent changes of activities are sensible for all clients, but are especially useful for those with physical, emotional, or mental concerns. Every effort is made to accommodate vision impairments by the use of big print overheads, dark colours, and large button phones and keyboards. Environmental and ergonomic design is taken into account when purchasing and placing furniture and equipment. And, open dialogue with key referral agencies that specialize in placement and mentoring programs is a must.

Conclusions and Looking Ahead

Experience and experiment have proven that if the above factors can be addressed, older workers can be better informed and empowered in their learning and decision making.

However, what is also increasingly clear, is that changes have to be made outside of the practice of career counselling to enhance the opportunities for older workers. As we have seen, older workers will be important to policy makers and business in ways that were previously unrecognized.

There must be changes in public policy around skills credentialing, for instance, to find a credible way to monitor on-the-job learning, and integrate that with formal learning.

Employers will need assistance through public policy changes, in order to make it easier to hire older workers. They will need help with knowledge transfer on the job, as waves of Baby Boomers retire, to be replaced by workers of similar ages, but lack of worksite-specific experience. Work organization and work content will have to become more flexible, to allow for phased-in retirements, management of health and disability issues, and time off for family and community responsibilities.

Advances in the field of ergonomics and task definition will help with adapting work content, so that all workers can perform it, irrespective of age and physical strength. There must be strides taken to facilitate communication between all groups in the labour market. The aboriginal population, especially in western Canada, will make up the majority of young entrants to the labour market in the coming years. Skilled immigrants will also play a strategic role. Cultural differences will need to be addressed, along with the long-running inequalities in the salaries of men and women. Creating an effective, productive labour market for all workers, but especially for older workers, will take a concerted effort by individuals, businesses, and policy-makers. As we work towards solutions, Career Practitioners working on the ‘front lines’ with older workers have a lot of knowledge and experience to offer.

The Ultimate Renewable Resource

In BC, how many times have we heard the forestry industry mantra, about making our forests a renewable resource? It takes awareness, money, and a concerted effort. The reward is a piece of land that can be replanted, and be productive, time after time. Roslyn Kunin, Economist, and President of the research group, The Laurier Institute, has told us that time is the ultimate non-renewable resource. Yet, I meet clients every day, who have nothing but time on their hands. They are Canadian resources waiting to be harvested. They have the resources we all want,–time and energy. It takes awareness, money, and a concerted effort, but, isn’t it about time that we made Canada’s older workers into our ultimate renewable resource?

Ann McCarthy is owner and Executive Director of Vision21 Consulting, home of the Pathways Program (www.pathwaysprogram.ca). She has been developing and delivering quality Career Counselling Services to Older Workers in the BC Interior for the past 15 years. She believes it is the responsibility of a Career Counsellor to listen to Voices, and she is grateful for the opportunity to share in the journey of each person with whom she works.

Websites for Experienced Workers

www.aarp.org/working_options/home.html
The American Association of Retired Persons offers a good selection of articles on changing careers, job search, keeping your career healthy, self employment and discrimination. USA

www.ncoa.org
The National Council on the Aging has articles on issues facing aging workers and downloadable report “How to Write an Individual Development Plan.” USA

http://midlifementor.com
This consulting site has a free newsletter with lots of articles on career transitioning at midlife. Check out the archives for a full list. USA