... the Bureau of Labor Statistics has recently revealed that the number of older workers not only has been growing over the past decade but will also continue grow at an alarming rate over the next few years. The agency predicts that the number of workers between the ages of 65 and 74 will balloon by 83.4 percent from 2006 to 2016, and the number of workers over 75 will explode by 84.3 percent.
Heather Havrilesky, Salon.com, "Perspire to Retire"
As
soon as I read the numbers above, I wanted to ask the Bureau of Labor
Stats how many of that "alarming number" of jobs will be at Wal-Mart or
MacDonalds? It gives a whole new spin to the topic of "lifelong engagement," doesn't it?
The Net is full of stories by Boomers who
were pedaling hard to remain employed at any kind of suitable job even
before the current downturn, too often hearing words like
"overqualified" to justify hiring someone younger. I
could populate a whole blog on this topic alone, but it would be too
depressing. However that doesn't mean we won't discuss it at
all. So here is a BBBoomer "Story Call"..
If you are over 45 and
finding it hard to hold on to a regular salary and you think your age
is a big part of the reason, send a summary of your story (max 500
words). If we have a chance to share it, we will write back with details and permissions. Send your submissions to: editor@bouncingbabyboomer.com
Meanwhile, if it helps to know a few 30-somethings foresee their own retirement woes already, click through to read the rest of Heather's story. Her other numbers are also sobering.
Footnote from the Dept. of Irony... Not an hour after posting this, I chanced upon a perfect-sounding job lead for the hub, but hesitated at passing it on despite the good fit because this great-sounding job in a hot eco-niche was at less than half his last salary. Would they even consider him if they knew? Would he be tempted to apply for it anyway? Talk about sign o' the times..
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