Early 60's And Unemployed.........OH NO!!! (collecting, apply, claim, qualify)

[BabyBoomers2]

We don't think that the economy has everything to do with why wife and I are having such a problem finding jobs.......we also think it's our age! We know that "age discrimination" shines it's ugly face at us all the time (we are in our early 60's) but we also think many people think we should already be retired! We just don't see that many people out there working full-time jobs at our age. Over half of my classmates from graduation in 1968 are now retired from government or private sector jobs!
The way it appears to me know, anyone in our age bracket had either be retired or working a job. Seems like unemployeed folks are our age.......don't have a chance!! Wife agrees.
Your comments.

[Ariadne22]

Sorry to say, I agree. Many people were fortunate enough to live below their means and/or have high paying jobs that allowed early retirement, or both. Fortunately, you are only two years away from collecting Social Security, so the unemployment should carry you through until then.

[yellowsnow]

True. I think folks 45 and up are all in this boat together. Discrimination is rampant. One of the real, logical reasons is healthcare. It costs much more to maintain the older worker. And older workers have more experience and demand higher salaries as well.

[altlover85]

LoveBoating, didn't you have another thread stating the same thing? What's the need for another one?

I do agree with you about age discrimination though.

[LongIslandEddie]

Originally Posted by yellowsnow

True. I think folks 45 and up are all in this boat together. Discrimination is rampant. One of the real, logical reasons is healthcare. It costs much more to maintain the older worker. And older workers have more experience and demand higher salaries as well.

I cannot see the logic in stating that older workers cost more to maintain than any other worker would expect to get from an equal opportunity employer.
If an employer allows a certain amount of "sick days" to each employee, that is a policy that is fairly well established within company policy and does not
make a distinction between younger and older workers. If the assumption that older workers are a liability respective to healthcare, the younger worker
often requires benefits for maternity reasons, which may create an even greater disadvantage to the employer. When I had a company sponsored HMO,
my employer paid half of the cost of my coverage and although my wife and I were grandparents, incapable (and in-desirous) of having more children,
we still paid at the "family" rate, $135.00 per wk. In many cases of this latter day, employers are not as liberal as they used to be, because of the current
economic crunch.

The long and often held reasoning that employers may need to pay higher saleries to older and more experienced workers, doesn't really apply in this
labor market either. A classic attitude that many employers are assuming, in sight of this current job market, is that they can drive a harder bargain when the
job applicant has fewer options and trust me to say that most prospective employers are more than willing to select the candidate that will cost them the least
up front, even to the point of making whatever sacrifices are necessary at the experience level coupled with the employer's willingness to augment whatever
experience that they may already have.

The company that I worked for (when I had a job), has all but closed their doors. I was knocked down to three days a week in Sept. of '08 and laid-off in March of '09.
My unemployment has run out and the need for workers in my field is pretty well gone here but I'm lucky enough to be able to draw my Social Security which, although
not very much of an allotment, leaves me at least better off than many others are. The hope that I had held, for a chance to drop dead on the workfloor, rather than here on
the living room floor, are pretty well gone too.

Old age is beginning to catch up with me too,
but as long as we "old folk" are all in the same boat, I'm happy to at least still have enough energy, determination and meds, to row.

[bluebelt1234]

Originally Posted by LoveBoating

We don't think that the economy has everything to do with why wife and I are having such a problem finding jobs.......we also think it's our age! We know that "age discrimination" shines it's ugly face at us all the time (we are in our early 60's) but we also think many people think we should already be retired! We just don't see that many people out there working full-time jobs at our age. Over half of my classmates from graduation in 1968 are now retired from government or private sector jobs!
The way it appears to me know, anyone in our age bracket had either be retired or working a job. Seems like unemployeed folks are our age.......don't have a chance!! Wife agrees.
Your comments.

It isn't easy for us young people either. I am 30 and the job market in my field is a nightmare. I am competing with older people with years of experience. It took my 19 year old nephew over a year to find a very low wage job that doesn't pay nearly all his bills. He even had several retail stores call him and cancel interviews because he was competing against older workers with years of experience who were laid off from the manufacturing sector. The store didn't want to train a newbie.

At least for you, social security is only a couple years away. Us young people are no where near qualifying for social security. If we can't find jobs, some of us may end up in the streets because we will lose all income after unemployment expires.

[texdav]

Whether we like it or not it cost alot more to pay the insurnace benefits cost of a 60 year old than a yonger work. Health insurnace benefits are a huge cost to most companies.I ahve serviced on out company heath insurnace board and the pay out to older workers on claims raises with age. Health insurance cost is a major rising cost of benfits for a worker.Its not going to get cheaper with the new healthcare bill which companies are already making adjustment to cover.

[jghorton]

You are probably right, but what is often perceived as 'age discrimination' is often perceived by employers as a better business decision .. than hiring 60-ish folks and hoping for the best. If an employee doesn't work out, nobody will come back later and say, "you should have hired the old guy." When I finally made the decision to 'pull the trigger' and retire at 61, particularly in this economy, I knew that there was no turning back. Unfortunately, many older people today are out of work through no fault or choice of their own -- yet, are facing the same market dynamics.

As others have suggested, all things are NOT equal between older and younger employees. Beyond basic salary (typically higher for older folks), the related overhead costs are statistically significantly higher for those 60+, than for those, for example, 40. This is particularly true of health insurance and related healthcare costs, but also in other areas. Training/re-training in new, emerging technologies and methods is higher and less certain with older people who are much more likely to be set-in-their-ways after 40-years of work; and also likely to have less stamina, flexibility and willingness to change in the face of new ideas and approaches. "We've always done it that way" is more often the matra of those who have "always done it that way... for many years," -- than of those who have yet to try out new possibilities.

Further, the available time and opportunity for the company to absorb the costs of training, relocation and development of older people is much less than with younger folks. Also, the recourse, in the case of a poor hiring decision, is much more fraught with risk with older people, who are likely to play the 'age' card. Additionally, older people are much more likely to have difficulties working for/under much younger supervisors/managers. And even if they don't, the younger folks often perceive that there is/will be a problem.

Among other issues is the significant likelihood that older people may 'suddenly' decide to retire, when they become eligible for Social Security or believe their savings/401K's are large enough that they no longer have to work (to send kids to college, pay-off mortgages, etc). Thus, younger people (particularly in this economy) are probably more likely to put-up with crap and bend-over backwards, to keep their jobs until they can retire, many years downstream. Because of greater potential longevity with the company, younger people who are 'worth their salt' are also better candidates for promotion ... or to replace their managers/supervisors (who need a replacement, as a prerequisite for their own promotions).

Sure, this seems like unfair stereo-typing or even discrimination, but companies are more concerned with lower perceived risks, and with what is most likely to benefit them in the near and long-term ... not, with the potential higher risks of hiring more older people.

There are many reasons why older people are likely to make more stable, experienced, mature employees -- and studies have shown that older people often make better employees, but given an "almost equal" 40-year old and 60-year old, which would you hire?

[BabyBoomers2]

Yes, did have another Thread about this, but wanted to hear more from folks about our problem.........of course I'm not reading the "awe things will get better for you folks". What I am reading though is that we are just plain SOL in some ways!
Perhaps I shouldn't have done this type of Thread again! Oh well, live and learn!

Originally Posted by altlover85

LoveBoating, didn't you have another thread stating the same thing? What's the need for another one?

I do agree with you about age discrimination though.

[kaykay]

Our best friend was laid off when he was about 63. It took him quite awhile to find a job,( probably about a year) but he finally was employed by a new call center that was opening. Pay was not great but it did have benefits and he has been able to work his way up in the call center there. ( Once he got his foot in the door, I think they realized this was a smart, stable guy with a great work ethic.) So it has turned out to be a pretty good job for him and should be there until he's ready to retire. (He's almost 66 now.) So it can work out even in your sixties if you keep plugging.