Tough times finding a job when you are 50+

The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) found that nearly half (46 per cent) of those out of work over 50 have been unemployed for at least a year, a total of 182,000 people, and up from 31 per cent in 2009.

In recent years companies such as B&Q, Marks & Spencer, BT and Sainsbury's have led the way in employing older workers – the so called "grey panthers" – but the analysis suggests that fewer are finding jobs amid harsh economic conditions.

Unemployment: over-50s most likely to be out of work.

The number of over-50s out of work for 12 months or more remains the highest for any age group, while employment levels among the over 65s continue to rise, according to the latest official Labour Market Statistics released today.
According to the data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), despite 38,000 more over-50s finding work between June and August 2010, 387,000 still remain out of work.

Despite the gloomy figures, the number of over 65s in full- or part-time work rose by 0.4% to an all-time high of 846,000 in the three months from June to August 2010, up by 42,000 from the previous quarter, and a rise of 89,000 from the corresponding period in 2009.

Middle-aged, middle class, with top CVs...so why can't they get a job?

Excellent article in the Daily Mail by Steve Boggan which explores this topic with some extraodinary case studies. Not pleasant reading but sadly fits in with the reports that we are now getting regularly from TAEN and from Age UK. It also does not show up Job Centre Plus in a good light which also is far too common.

'I'm never going back to the job centre'

Look at an excellent article on todays BBC news online by Joanne Babbage with the above title which brings home dramatically the problems faced by the over 50's when it comes to finding a new job. There are so many initiatives that providers yet alone the end user are getting confused.

Men aged over 50 hit hardest by unemployment

According to a new CIPD report.

Older workers are finding it tougher than other age groups to rejoin the job market after being made redundant. Fewer than one in five over-50s find employment within three months of losing their job, compared to more than 40 per cent of 25 to 34 year olds, official figures show.

Men in the 50-plus age band are faring the worst, with long term unemployment - being jobless for more than six months - doubling in the age group in the past year. This effectively forces men into early retirement, says the alliance of organisations.

In contrast, the rate of long term unemployment among women aged over 50 has only risen half as much, possibly due to their ability to work part-time or willingness to take lower paid roles in the service sector.

Existing government and employer initiatives, such as the Job Guarantee scheme, focus on helping 18 to 24 year olds into employment.

Dianah Worman, the CIPD’s diversity adviser, suggested a similar scheme could help older workers. “For older workers it is far too easy for long-term unemployment to turn into permanent disengagement from the labour market. A job guarantee for older workers would send a signal that these people cannot and should not be resigned to spend the rest of their life reliant on the state.”

Andrew Harrop, head of public policy at Age Concern and Help the Aged, said: “An end to the working lives of men in their 50s now will not only condemn them to an uncomfortable retirement, but will also deprive the recovering economy of their skills and experience, just when they are most needed. The Government must take action in the Pre-Budget Report to avoid creating a lost generation of older workers.”

We would also argue that there must be more emphasis on flexible working which is what the 50`s say that they want. We need to stop thinking that this is all about creating masses more of 40+ hour a week jobs.

Job help plea for older unemployed

A recent press release from the Press Association quotes the TUC claiming that older people are

being forced into early retirement when they lose their jobs because of a lack of support in helping them find new work.

It warned long-term unemployed people aged over 50 were at risk of never working again unless they were given tailored support to get back into the jobs market.

The TUC said research had shown that people aged over 50 who were unemployed were 10 times more likely to still be out of work after two years than they were to have found a new job.

It added that every year spent unemployed by a man in this age group increased the chances of never working again by 24.3%, and almost half of unemployed people over 50 had been out of work for more than a year.

Unemployment among the over 50s is currently running at 4.3%, lower than the overall rate of 7.8% and only a quarter of the rate of 17.3% among people aged 18 to 24. But despite praising the Government for prioritising tackling youth unemployment, the TUC said it must also look at offering tailored support for older people to prevent them from being forced into early retirement against their will.

The group said it was particularly concerned about the 'work for your benefits' scheme for the long-term unemployed, which has been proposed in the Welfare Reform Bill. Under the scheme, unemployed people will have to do compulsory work experience, earning as little as £2 an hour.

But the TUC said the scheme would do nothing to improve the job prospects for older workers, most of whom already have plenty of skills and experience.

It said the Government's job guarantee scheme, which is currently on offer to some young people, under which employers receive subsidies for taking on an unemployed person for at least six months, was a far better way to tackle long-term unemployment.

The group is calling for the scheme to be better funded and extended to include older workers. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: "The Government must introduce tailored support for older people to prevent them being forced into retirement against their will and face old age in poverty."

Older workers still managing to win jobs

Older workers are managing to win jobs amid the worst declines in employment on record, official figures revealed.

The number of retirement-age Britons in work expanded by 26,000 in the most recent quarter, the Office for National Statistics reported yesterday.

That compares with a decline of 295,000 in employment across the rest of the population in the three months ended May.

The rate of attrition is particularly painful among young people, with the unemployment rate among those aged 16-24 at its highest since the early 1990s. This is fuelling fears of a 'lost generation' unable to enter the workforce during a devastating recession.

The resilience at the older end of the jobs market is partly fuelled by firms such as B&Q, which has long targeted over-50s because they are often dab hands at DIY and tend to be particularly conscientious.