National Employ Older Workers Week, Sept. 24-28, carries special significance this year as older workers face historic challenges in today’s workplace, according to workforce experts in West Virginia.
“Record numbers of older people now give us their expertise and dedication in the workforce. But too many others can’t find work – and need to earn wages to survive,” said Carole Kincaid, West Virginia state director for Experience Works, the nation’s largest nonprofit provider of community service, training, and employment opportunities for older workers through the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP).
National Employ Older Workers Week, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), recognizes the great contributions of workers age 55 and older. Employers rate older workers high on judgment, commitment to quality, attendance, and punctuality, according to the Committee on Economic Development. The DOL estimates that Americans 55 or older will make up 21 percent of the U.S. labor force by 2014.
Even so, the economic downturn has been particularly tough on older workers. Long-term unemployment has increased for those ages 55 and older since the recession began, according to the Government Accountability Office. The unemployment rate for seniors has nearly doubled since December 2007, and that rate has increased faster than for any other age group, according to an AARP study conducted in June.
SCSEP is a highly effective program that responds to the ever-growing number of older people who both want and need to work by helping them get back into the workforce, maintain self-sufficiency, and age with dignity.
Every year, more than 100 older West Virginians like Sally Pullen benefit from SCSEP services that include skills training, help with the job-search process, and placement in appropriate paid training assignments with community service agencies to build the skills and expertise they need to transition to a job with a local employer.
After searching for more than three years, Pullen, 71, was able to land a job as a receptionist with Judge Louise Staton, family court judge in the 2nd Division of the 13th Family Court Circuit in West Virginia. “Experience Works Senior Community Service Employment Program opened doors for me and the dedicated staff helped guide me along my way to my job,” Pullen said.
Experience Works SCSEP operates in 11 counties in West Virginia and 29 other states and Puerto Rico. For information, call 304-253-2799 or visit www.experienceworks.org.
