‘Too Young Not to Work but Too Old to Work’

[babylonsister]

‘Too Young Not to Work but Too Old to Work’
Age Discrimination Plagues the Long-Term Unemployed
By Annie Lowrey 6/17/10 6:00 AM


Last week, thousands of Americans who have exhausted their unemployment insurance — the 99ers, named after the maximum number of weeks of state and federal benefits — sent letters and petitions to Washington as part of a futile campaign to convince the Senate to pass a bolstered version of the jobs bill, now stalled and being pared back. There were many common themes in their stories, but one of the more surprising was age.

One woman from Warren County, New Jersey, wrote: “I am (or was) a legal secretary with several years of experience (30+ years). … I have applied to jobs that are more than one-half less than what I was earning. I search for a job each and every day. … Where do people in my age bracket go? Too young not to work but too old to work?”

Such stories of older workers too young for retirement but struggling for months if not years to find jobs have policy experts concerned as the recession drags on and long-term unemployment continues to rise. Experts say that age discrimination is severely compounding the jobs crisis for older workers, although the phenomenon is difficult to quantify or to prove, and remains under-examined by the government. This time, it is not just making it more likely that these workers will be laid off. It is also making it much harder for them to gain new positions.

Last week, a hearing called by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights examined the issue, attempting to determine whether part of the reason older workers have such trouble finding work, on aggregate, is due to employer biases out of their control. The unemployment rate is a comparatively moderate 7.1 percent for workers over the age of 55 — it’s 9.7 percent nationally — as older workers are more likely to retire early or leave the workforce if they lose their jobs. But that hides the troubling reality for those who can’t afford to leave the labor force.

The unemployment rate for over-55s is at the highest level since 1948. Since the recession started, both the number of older people seeking work and the rate of unemployment for over-55s have increased more sharply than for all other demographic groups. And older workers comprise a high share of the long-term unemployed. In May, the average duration of unemployment for older job-seekers climbed to 44.2 weeks, 11 more weeks than the national average. Nearly six in ten older job-seekers have been out of work for more than six months.

more...

http://washingtonindependent.com/87333/too-young-not-to-work-but-too-old-to-work

[NNN0LHI]

1. This is the first wave of older workers with a 401(K) rather than a defined retirement plan

As they reach retirement age. This is not going to turn out well.

Don

[liberal N proud]

2. And many who have a defined retirement plan are being forced to take lump sums

And it is based on the average life expectancy of 72 or 74 years. Those who have a history of longevity in their family are screwed.

[dembotoz]

11. i figure i will have to work till i die--hope i do not become disabled

cause then i am fucked royally

[rucky]

3. If I were an employer...

I'd build my entire business off of this group of people. Combined experience of a team can really moves things forward, with less training and fewer stupid mistakes. I never understood the "too much experience" argument. It's just a bias.

[LWolf]

15. "Too much experience"

often means "we have to pay them more."

[glowing]

20. No, its actually about the benefits.. people, esp women, over 50 cost a ton in

health care benefits.. One of the best things for this country would have been to at the very least start decreasing the age one qualifies for medicare. It would reduce the costs on companies and younger employees costs. The best of all would be to offer it to everyone. But no, we had to make insurance co's too big to fail as well.

[truedelphi]

21. Exactly how I feel.

All of us that are facing age discrimination know how the expense of the benefits package is what makes employers reluctant to consider hiring us.

[ixion]

4. I'm not sure why they find this surprising...

US corporate culture is such that once the life has been drained out of you, you no longer serve any purpose in the corporate community, unless you happen to have made it to the level of executive, VP or better. If not, you can safely assume your job is hanging by a thread, because someone younger, who has more energy and will work for less money, is waiting in the wings to move in.

This has been my observation from having worked within the confines of this culture. I'm working to extricate myself from it as I write this.

[EXneoCON]

6. When you figure out....

how to extricate one's self, ixion, please let me know the secret. Really. Seriously.

[Loge23]

Yes, and image is huge these days as well

Things I have heard:
"He (she) looks ike a winner" Translation: I would sleep with that person, therefore I will hire him/her.
"We value loyalty" Translation: We're looking for yes people. Competency is secondary.
"We need someone with energy". Translation: Older than 40 need not apply.

Is it really any wonder why we're in the mess we're in??

[Loge23]

7. Dupe - removed by poster (eom)

[elehhhhna]

5. It's the health insurance racket - we oldies are too expensive.

[SocialistLez]

12. I believe that is the case. NT

[fasttense]

8. Is it the 2nd RepubliCON Great Depression yet?

"The unemployment rate for over-55s is at the highest level since 1948."

And you thought the magical mystery hand of the "free" market would solve any problem?

[old mark]

9. Rec. This has been going on in many large corporations for a long time...

I worked as a contractor in the engineering department of a large technical corp in the early 1980's. They had a reputation of hiring just-graduated engineers ans assigning them as trainees to engineers who were approaching retirement age. The trainers got fired and the trainees took over, at half the salary, in better health and nowhere near the minimum company pension age. Many technical people ther were fired just a year or so short of their full pension age, giving them much lower payouts, no insurance or other benefits.
I worked for many places-including the State of PA- who tried very hard to fire those who developed chronic illnesses, who used the FEMLA leave too much or who were permanently injured on the job.

Personnel department heads have annual meetings in resort cities to get training in how do do this stuff-it is established policy in much of American business and industrial corporations and has been for at least 30 years.

It is stupid, mean spirited and short sighted,and a lot of big corporations do it every day to prove to shareholders that they are "lean and mean"...


mark

[treestar]

10. It's 9.7 overall but 7.1 for over 55?

Then for some other age group it must be higher than 7.1.

[Mimosa]

13. I'd K&R this 1,000 times

I know many good people whose job applications have been ignored because they are over 50. *sad*

And they are educated, energetic, super-competent!

[lumberjack_jeff]

14. Judgment and experience are not valued by USA inc.

Anyone who knows how to "turn the wrench" can do most jobs below the C level.

[tilsammans]

16. I lopped 13 years off my resume . . .

. . . which included my best/favorite job.

But God forbid I look "old."

:grr:

[lib2DaBone]

17. Exactly. We are the 99-ers.... abandoned by our country...

The Blue Dogs and Joe Lieberman strike again... vote down extended benefits. The Dems just rolled over to the Repukes and gave away the $25 a week in extended benefits. Just like Public Option.. we got NOTHING in return. Spineless.

Senator Jon Tester (D -- Montana) introduced the idea of cutting the $25 stimulus added to unemployment checks.
Tell him what you think: http://tester.senate.gov/Contact/

Diane Feinstein was quoted as saying "We have 99 weeks of unemployment insurance now. The question becomes how long do you continue it before people just don't go back to work at all?". Does she not understand the bill? HR 4213 would only extend the filing deadline NOT the number of weeks.
Tell her what you think: http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?Fu...

Nancy Pelosi has been quoted making a similar statement.
Tell her where to go: http://www.house.gov/pelosi/contact/contact.html

Full list of Dems/Independents voting NO in a test vote on hr 4213:
Evan Bayh (Ind.) http://bayh.senate.gov/contact/email/
Begich (Alaska) http://begich.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Ema...
Feingold (Wis.) http://feingold.senate.gov/contact_opinion.html
Kohl (Wis.) http://kohl.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Landrieu (La.) http://landrieu.senate.gov/about/contact.cfm
McCaskill (Mo.) http://mccaskill.senate.gov/?p=contact
Nelson (Neb.) http://bennelson.senate.gov/contact-me.cfm
Nelson (Fla) http://billnelson.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm
Pryor (Ark.) http://pryor.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Cont...
Webb (Va.). http://webb.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Russ Feingold (D-WI) http://feingold.senate.gov/contact_opinion.html
Everyone is now suddenly a fiscal conservative when it comes to the unemployed, after bailing out every unseemly entity this country has to offer.

[LibertyLover]

18. That's my husband's problem

well, that and a few others. He decided about 10 years ago to quit working at age 45 to "see if he could bear staying home with our child, when and if we had or adopted one." A few years later, we did adopt a 16 month old girl and he was her primary caregiver while I worked and supported us. He kept saying that he'd get a job when she went to school, but first it was he couldn't because preschool was only a few hours a day, then it was because kindergarten got out at an odd hour. Next it was because in first grade she had homework that he had to supervise when she got home from school. And now in second grade it was, oh ooops, I'm 55 and I can't find a job. I think he does want to work, at least some days, but he can't find anything. We are lucky in that one of his previous jobs had an actual pension plan and he vested in it before he quit, so in 10 years' time we'll get a little money from it each month.

[road2000]

19. I am 60, laid off 7 months ago...

After 41 years in a profession as middle management. I have a stellar record and have done the "finding a job is now my job" thing, and have had no calls for an interview -- not one. When I put on my tinfoil hat, I believe Corporate America not only has ways of finding out your age, but also the amount of money you formerly made, and what you cost the company(ies) in health benefits. I am qualified for disability on a number of mental and physical fronts according to my doctor, so I've made an appointment with Social Security (my COBRA runs out at the end of January.) However, the doctor and I seemed under the impression that disability determination is based on medical condition(s). From an initial talk with SS, it is based on "assets."

What do I do, then -- sell my son's second-hand car and cash in my 401(k) to pay for individual health coverage until the money runs out? Then die because I can't buy drugs for high blood pressure, PAD or diabetes?

I've worked all my life and WANT to work. I have a lot left in me. I am willing to work for less than half of what I made last year. But I am that person in the story.