 If your retirement funds seem inadequate or you
are bored - you are not alone. Today's retirees are
healthy and have more vitality then they parents
did. The idea of needing to rest at the end of
your career because your body is physically worn
out from long days of backbreaking work just
isn't true for most people the way it was in the
past. Along with the idea of retirement came the
assumption that you "worked" until you "retired"
from your full-time "occupation", "career", or "
job".
But today, the distinctions between
working and retiring are blurring. The
mandatory retirement has been all but
eliminated, and Congress has repealed the Social
Security "earnings test" for people 65 or older.
Government data show that the percentage of
people over 65 who are in the workforce has been
rising since the mid-1990.This increase
translates into a million more people over 65 in
the labor force in 2001 than in 1985.
When engaged in
interesting and enjoyable work, older workers
don't only benefit themselves but also an
economy that facing a shortage of 30 million
workers in the next decade. They could
also live healthier and more vital lives than if
they retired on schedule. Imagining
yourself 10 years younger can benefit all older
workers, even those with abundant financial
resources.
Two
contradictory tends are going on here. On the
one hand, there is an outmoded societal attitude
that people of a "certain age" should retire
and, on the other hand, the facts show that
these people are staying active longer and
longer in the workforce. Obviously,
someone is hiring them!
Equally important, high-level
work is getting easier for the older worker. Thanks to
medical advances, people are staying healthy,
enabling them to work longer than before. Fewer
jobs require physically demanding tasks such as
heavy lifting. And technology-from
memory-enhancing drugs to Internet search
engines that serve a auxiliary memories will
help senior workers compensate for the effects
of aging.
The idea that citizens of a
wealthy nation such as the U.S. would choose to
work extra years is still a little new.
For most of the 20th century, retirement ages
fell as life spans grew. The trend seemed
unstoppable: While in 1950 46% of men 65 and
older were in labor force, by 1985 the fraction
had plummeted to 16%. An influx of women into
the labor force only partially offset the
overall decline. But starting in the mid-1980s,
something highly unexpected began to happen: The
trend reversed, and more older Americans chose
to keep working. The upsurge accelerated
even in the weak labor markets of recent years.
The share of men 65 and over in the labor force
is back up to almost 20%-the highest since the
1970s.
The Baby Boom generation is even
fitter for its age and more determined to stay
active. Two-thirds of the people surveyed last
year said they expect to work for pay in
retirement. A survey of boomers found that two
in five workers age 50 to 65 were interested in
a gradual, retirement instead of a abrupt
cessation of work.
Older workers who thrive tend to
have skills that are prized in the workplace,
even if they can't easily be measured by
standard tests. What matters most, is the
ability to solve ill-defined business problems
using rules of thumb that can't be put down on
paper.
There's no dispute that America
is graying. But the solution to the
demographic shift is staring us in the face.
People in their late 50's, 60s, and 70s have now
become the largest underutilized pool of human
resources in the economy. By working longer-and
more productively-boomers will help the U.S.
economy thrive even as their personal odometers
keep clicking forward.
If you like the predictability of
being a employee but want a fresh start with
another organization or in a different field
look at our job listings and apply for one of
the jobs or give the employer a
call. These
employers in Fremont are always looking for talented,
energetic individuals know matter what age you
are.
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