The nation's employment picture brightened a bit in October for workers ages 55 and older -- a group that, during the dot-com heydey and much of the 1990s, had a tougher time getting hired than did their younger counterparts.
Older workers accounted for about 77 percent of net employment growth during October, according to a recent report by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
The report's data came from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' surveys, which showed increased employment opportunities in October for older workers seeking jobs in occupations as varied as accounting, education, security and business administration.
"Many probably assume that if older job seekers are getting hired at such an impressive rate, it must be because they are finding seasonal retail jobs as in-store greeters, cashiers, etc.," said John Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas. "That is not the case."
While retail employment in October grew by 3,000 for those 55 and older, education and business services added 330,000 workers 55 and older during the month. And the ranks of older workers in such fields as accounting, engineering and sales grew by 218,000 in October.
That is a vast improvement over the past. In October 1992, workers 55 and older represented just 12.9 percent of hires, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
"If you go back to the last recession, there were a tremendous number of layoffs among engineers and middle managers, who were older," said Michael Wald, a regional economist for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. "This time, we saw an implosion of the IT [information technology] industry and other industries that really affected younger workers."
Workers in the 55-and-up age group have become more attractive these days in part because their skills and expectations weren't formed during, or informed by, the dot-com boom, Wald said.
"Consulting companies and others like that all were very attractive areas in the late '90s and drew young people in with really high salaries," he said. "That also impacted their specialties in school. Now they find themselves stuck with the wrong skill set. Older workers didn't pursue that, so they're now doing well."
That is heartening news for workers such as Linda Morrison of Roswell. She was laid off three years ago after 17 years in corporate public relations and has been temping on and off through Adecco, a placement agency, ever since.
"I was one of those people who got caught in the middle, who thought there would be a gold watch and then realized it might not be anything but fairy dust out there," said Morrison, who says she's older than 55 but declines to disclose her age. "So I've never had the kind of attitude where I had these great expectations."
She's hoping to land full-time work in her previous field but would also take a job as a receptionist or something similar.
So far, she's been encouraged by the responses she's received from potential employers.
"I just think people are beginning to look at us differently," Morrison said. "When I go to these places they don't say, 'Well, who is this little old lady?' I'm very grateful.
"They're realizing that we still have a lot to offer."
Staying off the street
Christina Joseph, 60, has had similar experiences recently. She's been temping through Adecco as an administrative assistant in Home Depot's legal department.
The home improvement retailer has hired a lot of older temps recently, she said. Joseph, for one, has high hopes that her temporary position will turn into a full-time job in the next month or so.
"The offerings these days are less than what people normally would be making, not only for temps but when and if an offer does come through. That just goes with the economy," said Joseph, who lives in Kennesaw. "But I'm definitely optimistic."
William Kahnweiler, a workplace expert and professor at Georgia State University, isn't so sure that such experiences, and recent statistics, indicate improvement in the employment situation for these folks -- or the economy overall.
"The data seems to include such a big bucket of jobs, anything from burger-flippers to highfalutin executive positions," Kahnweiler said.
"If the glass is half-empty, this means a lot of people are desperate and at the point where they've drawn out their savings and need to take something so they don't have to live on the street," he said. "The optimist would say, 'Maybe not; maybe the economy is well on its way to recovery.' "
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