An O*NET Academy Briefing:An O*NET Academy Briefing: O*NET Tools for the O*NET Tools for the

Older WorkerOlder Worker

Presented byPresented by

Dr. Janet WallDr. Janet Wall

Sr. Trainer, O*NET AcademySr. Trainer, O*NET Academy

Webinar ObjectivesWebinar 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-07-433T, January 2007

BackgroundBackground

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 WorkerThe 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 EmployersProblem 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 2000-2010, 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 PerceptionsEmployer 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-07-433T, January 2007

GAO-07-438SP, February 2007

Employer IncentivesEmployer 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-07-433T, January 2007GAO-07-438SP, February 2007

Survey of Persons 50 and Over Survey of Persons 50 and Over Attitudes Toward RetirementAttitudes Toward Retirement

Major Reasons for Working in Retirement

61

54

52

49

47

37

29

24

17

14

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Need the Money

Desire to Stay Mentally Active

Need the Health Benefits

Desire to Stay Physically Active

Desire to Remain Productive or Useful

Desire to Do Something Fun or Enjoyable

Desire to Help Other People

Desire to Be Around Other People

Desire to Learn New Things

Desire to Pursue a Dream

PercentAARP Bulletin, January 2006 from an online survey of 2167 workers in March 2005

Financial ReasonFinancial 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 Most Common Changes Reported by Middle Aged or Retired PersonsMiddle Aged or Retired Persons

http://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/econ/economy_survey.pdf; May, 2008

IMPACT OF CURRENT ECONOMIC SLOWDOWN; AARP Survey of 1000+ people ages 45-65+

Other AARP FindingsOther 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 WorkerEmployability 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 Smart to Focus on High Growth High Demand OccupationsHigh Demand Occupations

look at http://www.careervoyages.gov

O*NET System and Supporting ToolsO*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 Find Occupations to Match One’s SkillsOne’s Skills

http://online.onetcenter.org

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 Matches21 Matches

Wages and EmploymentWages and Employment

ObservationsObservations

• 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 AnalysisSkills Gap Analysishttp://www.acinet.org/acinet/Skills/default.aspx

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 SearchUse Keyword or Menu Search

Identify SkillsIdentify Skills

Identify SkillsIdentify Skills

Rate SkillsRate Skills

Select Work ActivitiesSelect Work Activities

Obtain Final ReportObtain Final Report

Obtain Occupation List Obtain Occupation List by Skill Matchby Skill Match

Obtain Occupation List Obtain Occupation List by Work Activitiesby Work Activities

Compare to Another OccupationCompare to Another Occupation

Compare to Another OccupationCompare to Another Occupation

Find Education and Training Find Education and Training OpportunitiesOpportunities

http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cool

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 MoreReview List and Find Out More

Service LocatorService LocatorOr use http://www.servicelocator.org

General InformationGeneral Information

Specific ServicesSpecific Services

ReviewReview

• 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?Any Burning Questions?

Opportunities for You

• SpotlightSpotlight – www.onetknowledgesite.com

• PodcastPodcast – audio interview

• User-Focused WebinarsUser-Focused Webinars– Contact sagesolutions@earthlink.net

Supporting WebinarsSupporting 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