Jobs? Senior citizens have earned right to stay in the game

Sometimes inspiration for a column comes from people you don't know — and because their words ring so true, they zero in on a problem that will eventually affect us all.

A recent Letter to the Editor caught me off-guard and has me wondering about my own future and if I, too, will become bound in what is now the straitjacket of ageism.

Vernon Wilshere is the letter writer. He is 70 years old and one of those senior citizens who has to work past what was the retirement age of 65 when he entered the workforce.

He is finding the job market isn’t so friendly toward a man of his age, despite his wealth of 47 years experience in the same field.

“Time and time again, I have been asked by a prospective employer, to come in for a interview, only to get passed over for the position because I am in my 70s,” he wrote. “The prospective employers are impressed with my years of experience, but continually go with a younger person than myself.”

Wilshere is not the only 70 year old who is either looking for work or currently employed. In the last quarter of 2017, 19 percent of 70- to 74-year-olds nationwide were working, up from 11 percent in 1994, according to insurancejournal.com.

That senior citizens are working or struggling in the job market is not new news. I addressed their plight in my column “Golden years? The polish is missing.”

But the reason why some may be struggling is becoming a serious issue that will only become worse.

The country has changed — the rules have changed — and let’s face it folks, senior citizens have changed.

Modern medicine is not only giving seniors more years to pad around America but along with good nutrition and other factors, seniors have the energy to enjoy it.

The rocking chair — as symbolic as it may be to retirement and the golden years — has been replaced with Harleys, sports cars and SUVs, gym time, athletic gear and adventures, and the dating game is going full speed ahead with a website “Ourtime.com” up and running for seniors looking for love.

Throw a dose of AARP in the mix and it is pretty obvious that these are not your father’s senior citizens.

But somehow, the gray on top and the loosening of the waistline signifies less brain power, less ambition, less desire to learn and achieve — and less get-upand-go for prospective employers.

But the numbers tell a different story when we look at older workers at Walmart, fast food and supermarket chains, restaurants and big box retail stores.

Here in Connecticut, more than 25 percent of people over the age of 65 are in the workforce and 10 years from now, the Agency on Aging of South Central Connecticut projects that number will jump to 35 percent. To put those numbers in perspective, 10 years ago, that percentage was 12 percent.

And the Employee Benefit Research Institute reports that 79 percent of U.S. workers expect to supplement their retirement income by working for pay.

But while there are more than 125, 000 seniors currently in Connecticut’s workforce, baby boomers here and nationwide face a challenge to stay there.

Unfortunately, for many, there is simply no choice.

A good percentage of baby boomers’ earning power was put on hold as some corporations decided during the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s that greed and CEOs were worth more than the people who worked to put those dollars in their pockets. We all know the story: wages stagnated for years as the cost of living, including health care and food, ballooned out of control for many.

Seniors can be the first to be let go because they usually earn more money and for many of them, staying in the workforce means swallowing their pride and accepting low wages for their highly desired skills.

That is a serious problem, particularly here in Connecticut, which has the third-highest life expectancy of any state in the nation, and the over-65 population is projected to grow 57 percent by 2040.

The Agency on Aging is kicking off a new campaign this week called “Stop Ageism Now” because it’s an “ism” that “we’ll all face someday” and there is a need for adults to stay in the workforce.

I will be facing that “ism” in about seven years — and admittedly, it is scary to think that despite my skills and continued good health, it will be my age that dictates what my life will be like.

It would behoove all of us to read Vernon Wilshere’s words of reasoning in his Letter to the Editor:

“Hire the senior citizen! You will get an employee that comes with years of experience, plus, someone that you can count on to be there when they are supposed to be there. I need to work, I want to work, I have to work and I am not planning on retiring permanently for quite some time.”

His message is loud and clear and what this column is all about.

Employers, are you listening?

Jobs? Senior citizens have earned the right to stay in the game.