An O*NET Academy Briefing: O*NET Tools for the Older Worker Presented by Dr. Janet Wall Sr. Trainer, O*NET Academy

Webinar Objectives Review information about the aging of the US population Recognize some trends in the aging population Describe the situation faced by older workers and the workforce Suggest some tools that can assist older workers to consider their options in a changing world

In the 21st century, older Americans are expected to make up a larger share of the U.S. population, live longer, and spend more years in retirement than previous generations. From: Some Best Practices and Strategies for Engaging and Retaining Older Workers ; GAO Report: GAO T, January 2007 Background

65+ in the United States by Wan He, Manisha Sengupta, Victoria A. Velkoff,And Kimberly A. DeBarros, Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Commerce, December, 2005.

The Older Worker Over 55 From 2000 to 2010, the number of older workers will increase from 18.2 million to 26.6 million (46%  ) Boomers are entering retirement age and will be leaving the workforce (tsunami) By 2020, all but the youngest boomers will be retirement age

Problem for Employers Baby bust follows boomers leaving Fewer midlevel and executive talent follows. –experts predict shortage of workers will prompt employers to keep workers on the job longer or hire back retirees Between , more job openings are projected to occur because of replacement needs (retirements, people changing occupations) than from the creation of new jobs –10 million unfilled jobs

Employer Perceptions Financial disincentives including –rising cost of health insurance –training costs from hiring and retaining older workers. Lack of high value on their experienced workers –Gearing succession planning toward replacing older workers with younger ones Negative stereotypes including –belief that such workers produce lower-quality work than their younger counterparts –less work overall. Belief that older workers are resistant to change Skills gap Fear of age discrimination lawsuits GAO T, January 2007 GAO SP, February 2007

Employer Incentives flexible work arrangements ( part time, flextime, consulting, short term projects) phased retirement flexible work locations away from the traditional office time off for for elder care “snow bird” program, which allows employees who live in different places during the year to work in both locations adapted job designs to accommodate the physical constraints of older workers –hydraulic systems in all of its beds so the beds could fold into a sitting posture, a change that assisted older staff in moving patients. –modified an assembly line so that cars on the line could be rotated to grant easier access for mechanics who were unable to lie down to work on cars benefits package: health care, pension, employee discounts, etc. GAO T, January 2007 GAO SP, February 2007

Survey of Persons 50 and Over Attitudes Toward Retirement AARP Bulletin, January 2006 from an online survey of 2167 workers in March 2005

Financial Reason 28% of boomers say they will work part-time after retirement because they need the money or want the mental stimulation 65+ in the United States by Wan He, Manisha Sengupta, Victoria A. Velkoff,And Kimberly A. DeBarros, Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Commerce, December, 2005.

Most Common Changes Reported by Middle Aged or Retired Persons nter/econ/economy_survey. pdfhttp://assets.aarp.org/rgce nter/econ/economy_survey. pdf; May, 2008 IMPACT OF CURRENT ECONOMIC SLOWDOWN; AARP Survey of people ages

Other AARP Findings 16% - postponed plans to retire 16% - spouse postponed plans to retire 23% - prematurely withdrew funds from retirement savings 33% - stopped contributing to retirement savings 14% - cut back on medications 8% - moved to smaller house or apartment 8% - got a second job

Employability for Older Worker Stay current and employable Welcome and learn technology Participate in training Stay open to new ideas Recognize where the opportunities are Focus on in-demand occupations where there are employment needs

Smart to Focus on High Growth High Demand Occupations look at

O*NET System and Supporting Tools Find occupations that match one’s skills (skill search) Identify skill gap between current and alternate occupation (skills gap analysis) Find education and training institutions Find local services to help you improve your job skills (service locator)

Find Occupations to Match One’s Skills Find Occupations to Match One’s Skills Example: For 25 years,Sally has been working as a home health care practitioner. She has kept up her education through short courses and seminars. She is now 56 years old and is looking toward retirement with a better paying job with less physical exertion. She is willing to take additional coursework and training to upgrade her skills. She want to move to Florida in retirement.

21 Matches

Wages and Employment

Observations Less physical exertion. Probably needs to obtain more training as this is a job zone 3 occupation, while home health care practitioner is job zone 2. Salary is about twice that of home health care. Occupation is growing slightly Florida.

Skills Gap Analysis Sally is wondering what skills she now has with her job as a home health care practitioner might apply to her new goal of respiratory therapy technician and what skills she needs to acquire.

Use Keyword or Menu Search

Identify Skills

Rate Skills

Select Work Activities

Obtain Final Report

Obtain Occupation List by Skill Match

Obtain Occupation List by Work Activities

Compare to Another Occupation

Find Education and Training Opportunities Find Education and Training Opportunities Sally wants to find a school where she can get training to become a respiratory therapy technician. The school needs to be in Florida where she plans to retire.

Find out more about the institution and programs. Review List and Find Out More

Service Locator Or use

General Information

Specific Services

Review Gained information about the aging population Learned some statistics about the older worker and the workforce. Suggest some tools that can assist older workers –skills search –skill gap analysis –find education and training opportunities –find local services

Any Burning Questions?

Opportunities for You SpotlightSpotlight – PodcastPodcast – audio interview User-Focused WebinarsUser-Focused Webinars –Contact

Supporting Webinars How to Download and Use the O*NET Interest Profiler and Work Importance Profiler Overview of the O*NET Ability Profiler How to Administer the O*NET Ability Profiler How to Interpret the Ability Profiler Whole Person Assessment O*NET Tools for Job Seekers and Students O*NET Enhancements O*NET for Military in Transition A Behind the Scenes Look at the O*NET Data Collection Process Relationship Between Education, Occupations and Pay Tomorrow’s Jobs Today Tools and Technology