Older workers remaining out of work longer

Bob Bauder

May 12, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Debbie Ahern, 52, has a sneaking suspicion that her age has something to do with the fact that she hasn't been able to find a job for six months.

Not that anybody's come right out and said so.

Ahern, who has more than 30 years' accounting experience and was the controller of a small manufacturing company before being laid off in November, said it's just a feeling she has as the months pass and the number of resumes she has sent out continues to climb.

Her suspicions were confirmed in her mind during a recent interview.

The 20-something interviewer mentioned something to the effect that the company was looking for "fresh and innovative ideas."

"They can't come right out and say young and aggressive, but they can word things in a certain way, and that's the impression I got," said Ahern, of East Rochester. "They were looking for someone who was fresh out of school or a young college graduate."

While local job experts say it's impossible to tell whether age is a factor in keeping baby boomers out of the work force these days, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests that the older generation is facing a tougher job market than the younger set.

According to bureau statistics, workers 45 and older are remaining out of work longer than their younger counterparts.

Unemployed workers 45 and older were out of work 22 weeks, on average, in 2008 compared with about 16 weeks for younger people. The unemployment rate for older workers was 6.4 percent, the highest since 1948.

But the flip side of that, according to Antony Davies, associate professor of economics at Duquesne University, is that older workers have remained on the job much longer than younger workers during the current recession. Workers 45 and older also have a lower unemployment rate than younger workers.

The average unemployment rate for workers between the ages of 18 and 33 is more than double (12.8 percent) that for those 45 and older. The numbers are skewed somewhat by workers ages 18 to 19 (20.9 percent unemployment rate) and those ages 20 to 24 (14 percent unemployment). Ages 25 to 44 have an average unemployment rate of 8.1 percent.

"The over-45s' unemployment rate to begin with was so low that any bump in it is large," Davies said. "The moral of the story is that at the end of the day, the over-45s look bad, because their starting unemployment rate was so darn low."

But that still doesn't account for the disproportionate amount of time that baby boomers are remaining off the job.

Dianne Stoner, administrator for Pennsylvania CareerLink Beaver County, said the number of baby boomers seeking services has nearly doubled since 2000, but it's impossible to determine the reason.

"With the recession, it's taking everyone longer (to get a job)," she said.

Things such as qualifications, education, experience, motivation, job readiness, good interviewing skills and a good resume are determining factors in a job search, Stoner said.

One thing possibly affecting Beaver County numbers, she said, could be the aging population. About 39 percent of Beaver County's 173,000 residents are 50 or older.

"Sometimes older workers are looked at more favorably," Stoner said. "Sometimes the younger people have stereotypes attached to them."

Whatever the case, people such as Ahern and Judy Lokomski, 57, of Rochester Township, are finding it hard to get a job.

Lokomski, like Ahern, has been off work for about six months, and she suspects that her age is holding her back. Lokomski said she's probably sent out 50 resumes alone for jobs listed in The Times want ads.

Since November she's gotten one interview.

"I can't honestly say age plays a factor, but I would think it would," she said. "Everybody's looking for the younger people, and I don't think that's right. Older people have better work ethic, I think."

AGE AND UNEMPLOYMENT

Workers 45 and older are remaining out of work longer than their younger counterparts. The flip side: Older workers have remained on the job much longer than younger workers during the current recession and have a lower unemployment rate than younger workers.

Average duration

45 and older, 22 weeks

18-33, 16 weeks

Unemployment rate

45 and older, 6.4 percent*

18-33, 12.8 percent

--Highest since 1948

Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics; Antony Davies, assistant professor of economics, Duquesne University

JOB HELP

Unemployed baby boomers can find information and assistance in landing a new job at the following organizations:

--AARP offers job-hunting tips for older people on its Web site: www.aarp.org/realrelief. The organization also has Web seminars scheduled for May 20 and June 11 to teach people how to create an effective job search strategy and offer other advice for job seekers. Registration forms also can be found on the AARP Web site.

--Pennsylvania CareerLink Beaver County, 2103 Ninth Ave., Beaver Falls, offers a wide range of job services, including the Senior Services of America program. The program, in which participants must meet certain income levels to participate, provides employment and training services for Beaver County residents 55 and older.

--Job Training for Beaver County works hand-in-hand with CareerLink and provides occupation skills training, job search assistance and on-the-job training, among other services. Its office is at the Beaver Valley Mall. The organization can provide up to $8,000 that can be used by residents meeting income-elegibility levels to pay for retraining programs. More information can be found on the JTBC Web site: www.jtbc.org.

--The Community College of Beaver County offers retraining programs for unemployed workers. For more information, contact the admissions department at the Center Township campus at (724) 775-8561, Ext. 330.

--A listing of all job services in the state can be found on the Comonwealth Workforce Development System Web site: cwds.state.pa.us.

Newstex ID: 34859467