3 million older Americans can’t find high-paying jobs, and it has nothing to do with skills. Here’s the one barrier they face that no one’s addressing. — from businessinsider.com by Allana Akhtar

Excerpts (emphasis below by DSC):

  • The share of older workers in the US labor force is increasing rapidly, causing new discussions on how to train a 55-plus population for highly skilled jobs.
  • Much of the jobs older workers take come from low-wage industries. One solution to get older workers high-paying jobs is to train them in skills these industries need.
  • Still, activists say that without addressing ageism, older workers will not find high-paying work at the same rate younger workers do.

 

In light of the aging workforce, experts say getting an education at age 22 will not last if Americans work into their 80s. 

 

Yet activists argue the biggest barrier to entry for older workers isn’t a lack of skills: ***it’s ageism.*** 

 

An investigation by ProPublica last year found more than half of US workers are pushed out of longtime jobs before they choose to retire. Seniors who want to work yet cannot find the opportunity to do so are often broke: the share of US workers who have suffered financially damaging, employer driven job separation after 50 increased from 10% in 1998 to 30% as of 2016, ProPublica found.

“Most older adults really have come to face that they are not going to make the same salaries,” Fisher said. “People who lose their jobs in their 50s are really in big trouble. It is very hard to get another job.”