Employment Guide: Seniors in the Labor Force Enjoy More Than the Paycheck
force aged 55 and older, currently at 17 percent, is rising rapidly and,
by 2020, it is projected to be nearly 24 percent. The graying of the
labor force can be attributed to many factors: longer life expectancy,
significant increases in healthcare costs—and
boredom.
Chuck Byes spent his entire career as president and owner of Carriers
Traffic Service, Inc., a consultant to the motor common carrier industry
assuring strict adherence to government regulations for its truck-line
clients. As deregulation increased, Byes’
client base dwindled, and he was forced to close the office and retire.
Byes was only 59.
Finding himself with unexpected free time, Byes took to the road in his
RV: “I visited every traceable relative, some
more than once, enjoyed every national park, forest and monument, some
more than once, and learned that travelling with your own kitchen, bath
and sleeping accommodations doesn’t save you
that much money in restaurant and motel expenses,”
he mused. “Truth be told, I was bored.”
For several years Byes took on odd jobs in consulting and real estate,
yet he says he was unfulfilled and, at his age, thought he had few
prospects for finding a rewarding job: “I was
72 years old, reasonably healthy, reasonably alert, but with nothing useful
to do. To my way of thinking at the time, I had little chance of
finding anything beyond greeting customers at the local supermarket.”
Enter AARP Foundation and The Employment Guide. Thanks to the
guidance of AARP Foundation representative Donna Martin at the
Department of Economic Security office in Mesa, Arizona, Byes secured a
job as circulation manager for The Employment Guide’s
Phoenix office.
“I’m useful here,
I get to use my mind, and I get paid every two weeks! Life is good!”
he exclaims.
To help bring together more older workers with meaningful jobs, The
Employment Guide (www.EmploymentGuide.com)
and AARP Foundation (www.AARP.org/foundation),
have partnered in the Employ the Older Workers Job Fair Series—a
national effort, reaching more than 55 cities. From late August through
October, thousands of job seekers age 40 and older will have the
opportunity to meet and interview with employers for a wide variety of
positions in industries such as hospitality, retail, government,
transportation, telecommunications and customer service.
The job fair series is being held in conjunction with the U.S.
Department of Labor’s National Employ Older
Workers Week, Sept. 22-26, 2008.
To learn more about the graying of the American labor force and the
Employ the Older Workers Job Fair Series, and for a complete listing of
the job fairs, log on to http://wiserworker.com/job-fairs.
Published August 18, 2008
Silver Planet Staff
Business Wire, Press Release
