Age Discrimination Will Be More Widespread

Advice based on what happened to older workers in the Great Recession

by John Tarnoff at nextavenue.org

Age discrimination by employers due to the pandemic is moving from a hypothetical to a real issue. But there are tactics older workers and job applicants can adopt accordingly to help protect themselves and their careers…

    According to the analysis by the Medicareadvantage.com site, as the unemployment rate peaked north of 9% in the last recession, the number of EEOC age discrimination filings also peaked, at 24,000.
 

This week I interview Chris Farrell, economics and personal finance expert. I wanted his take on what is happening and his predictions about it all. It was as always when I speak with Chris, a fascinating conversation.   [podcast]

Workers who are older understand the challenges of trying to land a good job. Many employers seek out younger candidates, even if age discrimination itself is illegal. 

    In some cases, though, businesses are looking for more-experienced workers to fill certain roles.
 

The future of work is here. And as Jack Kelly highlights in this sobering Forbes.com article, life is not going to be as comfortable as we remember it pre-pandemic and we must become self-reliant and entrepreneurial when it comes to our careers.

    This may feel exciting for some and downright terrifying for others. What used to be a choice, is now becoming a guarantee: We will all need to reinvent ourselves multiple times throughout our careers to remain employable.
 

Remember the college classmate who was on “the seven-year plan”; who derisively was labeled as a “professional student”?  As it turns out, maybe he knew something that the rest of us didn’t.

    Today the term is “professional learner” and according to a 2016 Pew Research Center study, 63 percent of full-time workers lay claim to that title.  The Pew study also shows that, in the past 12 months, they either have taken a course or received some additional training.

    The good news is that, if you’re presently unemployed, you probably have some time in your day that you can carve out to update your skills.  This is especially true for computer skills.  Are you current with Word and Excel?  The newer versions of popular software have new tricks and capabilities that you really need to familiarize yourself with.

    Above and beyond the more traditional software, there are a lot of new players in the game for the working professional.  LinkedIn comes to mind first.  It’s an essential component of most every contemporary job search.  Are you getting the most out of it?  Are you adept at making it work to your advantage in your job search?

    There are other new kids on the block as well such as all the social media that can be useful in your search. Then there are the various extensions – applications that are add-ons to existing applications. For example, there are literally hundreds of Chrome extensions – applications that can be added to Chrome that can make your online experience far more effective and efficient than you can imagine.

    In addition to enhancing your appearance as technologically savvy, improving your skills will help during your job search. Knowing how to navigate around job sites, news feeds, etc., will make your day measurably more productive.

    Wait!  There’s more good news.  How many online sources offer classes – and in some cases certifications? And many of these are free and available to you in your own living room – or wherever you work at home.

    What’s not to like about that?