Moving Boomers from Part-Time to Full-Time Jobs

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If you’ve recently been outplaced and forced to take a part time job just to make ends meet, making the transition to full-time employment will be a challenge.

 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, part-time jobs hit an all time high—over 28 million—as May 2013. These jobs typically have few, if any, employee benefits, such as healthcare and retirement. Worse yet, the jump in part-time jobs in May over April was 618,000—the fifth highest increase ever recorded. Combined with the 508,000 leap in part-time jobs in April, it’s the largest two-month rise in part time-jobs in history. Full time jobs, on the other hand, took a 266,000 nosedive in May.

 

While most younger workers and interns gain usable, saleable skills in their part-time jobs such as multitasking, hyper-organization and enhanced tech knowledge, the boomers are falling behind. For the underemployed 50 and older, part time jobs have little to do with acquiring any new skills or tech knowledge. These aging underemployed end up in low-level retail and healthcare positions, driving a taxi, or manning phones in “boiler rooms.”  They often must take two or even three part-time jobs to meet the expenses their once high-salaried jobs covered.

 

The good news is that boomers will soon be in demand, giving them the leverage to transition from low-paying part time jobs to better jobs with more benefits. Millions of boomers will soon be retiring, ramping up the demand for seasoned, mature workers who have the people skills many younger workers lack. "I'm expecting the worst labor shortage of our lifetime," says Jeff Taylor, founder and chairman of Monster.com. "If you look at the actual numbers, you have about seventy million baby boomers who are going to retire between now and 2015 and only thirty million younger workers to take their place at the entry level."

 

According to the Bureau's projected labor growth data for seniors, from 2006 to 2016, active workers between 55 and 64 will increase by 36.5 percent; workers 65-to-74 will jump by 83.4 percent; and workers over 75 will be up by 84.3 percent.

 

So where will the jobs be for boomers? The Occupational Outlook 2010-2011 projected that through 2018, most anticipated job growth for Americans will be finance jobs, especially financial examiners and jobs in investment, accounting, and auditing. Healthcare will also need mature workers, especially registered nurses, medical assistants, home health aides, dental hygienists, dental assistants, physical therapist aides, and physician assistants. Other fields that will value your maturity and seasoned skills will be management, scientific and technical services jobs, especially management analyst jobs, consulting services and computer systems design and related services.

 

If you’re stuck in a low-paying, no-benefits job, hone your resume to fit one of the above fields, sharpen your interviewing skills, and use every contact you know to make the transition to full time employment.

 

Image courtesy of photostock/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 
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  • Elizabeth P
    Elizabeth P •
    I hope this will come to fruition..I have been searching for a job for 8 months now,my unemployment is due to run out and I am getting desperate, I am just 60 and have worked my whole life.. this is becoming depressing.
  • Gary S
    Gary S •
    I hope he's right, but reality tells me otherwise.  Ageism and age discrimination are real, even gov't agencies dealing with employment admit it, brushing it off by saying "Yeah, it exists, it's the easiest kind of discrimination to do and the hardest to prove."If it was any other kind of discrimination, they'd be coming down on it like a ton of bricks.
  • Loretta A
    Loretta A •
    Great article .  I hope it's true. Very informative.
  • V James D
    V James D •
    This is a very good article and should be read by any senior who is underemployed and either needs the financial boost of a full time job, or like me, needs to fulfill their desire to be creative and productive in recreating our economy.
  • Josephine M
    Josephine M •
    I'm 63 and I'm looking for part-time afternoon or evening work.  I haven't found any yet. I prefer part-time because I receive disability. Please give me ideas. I'm a seamstress that does alterations any ideas on how to advertise more.
  • SAUNDRA L
    SAUNDRA L •
    This article really hit a nerve. Perhaps the author is trying to convince himself as much as other older job seekers, but I agree with Joseph that what he's written is baloney.  I'm 61 and have been looking for full time work for the past 12 months after my prior position was eliminated.  I have a stellar work history, excellent references, up-to-date skills and varied experience within my field. I am able-bodied, and actually look younger than I am. I not only still need to work to support myself, I want to work and be a productive member of society. I am willing to accept a salary lower than my previous one, within reason.  Yet I've only been able to get a handful of interviews, including 2 in health care environments, and no job offers. I believe that once employers see how long I've been in the work force, my resume automatically hits the "reject" pile. I strongly agree with others that employers place no value on the experience older workers can bring, and I don't believe that is going to change.  Employers want younger workers and they are not going to replace a retiring older worker with another older worker. Honing a resume and interview skills is useless advice in as much as it can't make one any younger.  Going back to school to get new skills can't do that either. Judging by most of the other comments to this article it's clear that I am not the only one who is discouraged and frustrated by the ageism that definitely exists.
  • Itanya J
    Itanya J •
    This information was very informative and I thank you.
  • Joseph S
    Joseph S •
    So far it's all baloney. I am 62 y/o looking for ft/pt employment for 18 mos. with no success in either for profit or not for profit industries. I have desirable skill sets and varied work and personal experiences. Older workers are NOT valued nor wanted unless they work as a volunteer. Then doors open but they make sure that we understand that this free position will not lead to a paid position in the foreseeable future.
  • Faye S
    Faye S •
    I'm a "Boomer" who would be happy to even get an interview. I'd be happy to get a part-time job. No one wants to hire a mature person. They want  college age and even say so in their ads. So interview skills aren't going to help unless they can make me younger.
  • Ruth K
    Ruth K •
    I beg to differ. Ageism and discrimination are wide spread in healthcare!
  • Rebecca B
    Rebecca B •
    I feel where you are all coming from, but especially Barbara.  I too am 52.  I have been unemployed for the past 2.5 yrs.  I have been busy helping with family (aging parent & sick adult child). For the past 6months+ I have been applying for work in my field of Medical Lab besides other areas.  I think all the employers are looking at is the fact that I'm over 50 & unemployed for 2+yrs.  They totally neglect the tremendous amount of experience, skills and education that I have from the past 30+ yrs.  I'm not ready to just give my life away for minimum wage.  Somehow these people need to understand that actual experience is worth a ton of a lot more than youth & a bunch of letters after your name.
  • Denise B
    Denise B •
    At the bottom of the article it says, "hone your resume to fit one of the above fields", but there is no list of fields. And by the way, I'm a boomer, and age discrimination happens everyday- it just doesn't show up on the paperwork anywhere. Getting a full time job with benefits is next to impossible, even if you go back to school, like I did, and now have an education loan to pay back.
  • Dan G
    Dan G •
    Agism exists. It's pervasive. There's an assumption that older workers 'just can't do the job" and/or are too old to learn. Some of the jobs listed as 'needed' require graduate degrees. Many require the requisite 'computer skills' not previously mastered. Some require physical stamina that may be beyond the individual's endurance. These, coupled with pervasive agism, seems to have resulted in difficulty securing any position wherein their knowledge base and skill set can make a contribution, other than, perhaps, with those organizations who are already outside the box and/or their 'comfort zone' about older adults as employees.
  • Barbara A
    Barbara A •
    I have read your article, but it will not prevent employers from not hiring based on age. Most employers want people who are young. I am 52 years old & have been seeking full-time employment for the past 3 years. As a matter of fact i lost my full-time position as a administrative medical assistant because they did not want to give me a raise that they have promised. This has practically devastated my family. My husband is disabled & unable to contribute to the financial stability of my household. He has been denied disability twice by the railroad & twice by social security. I have been on countless interviews & no one will hire me even with all of my experience. Statitics don't mean anything to me, full-time employment does. I currently reside in Las Vegas, NV.
  • David S
    David S •
    Excellent story, and very encouraging.
  • Travis L.
    Travis L. •
    This is interesting information however, it fails to answer the question about the currently unemployed 40 year olds like myself.  The age discrimination that is currently going on will continue in later years.  With the 55+ crowd staying in the workforce the number of jobs for the under employed and non-employed will continue to shrink.  It is my belief if employers would stop requiring 3-5 years experience for entry level positions they would not have an employee problem.  There are many other factors but this would be a good start.

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