Better Days Ahead for Older Workers, Study Predicts Demographics, retirements may create openings in health, education and environmental fields

2019년 시니어를 위한 일자리 5백만 창출 - 미국 전망

 □ 요약

- 인구구조변화와 고령화에 따른 새로운 기회 창출 예상
- 2019년 부터 약 5백만명의 일자리 부족현상 예측(미국)
- 아직 기다려야 하지만, 인생을 긴 관점에서 보고 준비해야 함
- 유망분야: 헬스케어, 교육, 환경분야

1) 헬스케어:
- 만성질환 코치, 커뮤니티 헬스관리인, 환자 보호자(Navigators), 집개조(리모델링) 전문가
2) 교육: 현직교사의 50%가 은퇴예정
- 21세기 교육: 멘토교육, 교사보조, 실무(현장경험)형 교수, 콘텐츠 전문가, 프로젝트 조율가 등이 필요함
3) 녹색 일자리:
- 에너지(사용량) 검사, 재택근무형 사업, 실내공기 모니터링,
- 녹색 리모델링 견적 등 파트타임업무를 선호함

Better Days Ahead for Older Workers, Study Predicts Demographics, retirements may create openings in health, education and environmental fields

By: Elizabeth Pope | Source: AARP Bulletin Today | March 22, 2010

These may be the toughest times in half a century for older workers, but a new study forecasts that in less than a decade, these workers will be in demand once again.

By 2018, boomer retirements and smaller pools of younger adults could result in at least 5 million job vacancies, according to the study for the MetLife Foundation, the charitable arm of the insurance and financial services giant, and Civic Ventures, a San Francisco think tank. The fields of education, health care, government and nonprofit work will account for about half of the openings, it says.

“These jobs will go begging and the economy could suffer if older workers don’t adopt them as their encore careers,” says Barry Bluestone, an economist at Northeastern University in Boston who prepared the study. As the economy recovers, spot shortages in some sectors could appear even sooner, he adds.

The report, accompanied by three papers on new jobs in health care, education and the green economy, is based on analysis of current census data, federal labor statistics and a labor market assessment tool developed by the Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern.

Labor economist Richard W. Johnson of the Urban Institute agrees that the job picture will be brighter for older workers in the coming years. “I would say within five years we’ll start seeing strong demand for workers in some of these social service jobs,” he says. “We would have to include older worker participation to meet this demand.”

Dark days for older workers

Still, five to eight years may seem like a long time to a desperate older job seeker who needs income now. The national unemployment rate for workers 55 and older reached 7.2 percent in December, the highest in more than 50 years. On average, workers 55 and older are remaining unemployed for nearly 36 weeks.

But second careers often last as long as 25 years, says Civic Ventures CEO Marc Freedman. “As terrible as the current downturn is, this study is a reminder that you need to think about a longer time horizon. How are you going to invest your own human capital so you can take advantage of emerging opportunities?”

Although community colleges, online degree programs and other organizations are developing initiatives to help older workers transition to new careers, more needs to be done, says Freedman. “We desperately need more inexpensive and expedited pathways to help people move from aspirations to action on their encore careers. Until then, you’re on your own.” Encore.org, a nonprofit group specializing in second careers, offers a list of educational resources.

The three reports accompanying Bluestone’s study detail opportunities expected to appear in coming years:

Health care

A rare sector that added jobs during the recession, health care dominates the list of hot second careers. Demand remains strong for traditional positions, such as home health aides, nurses and medical assistants. But a changing health care landscape and an aging population are also creating new jobs in support, education and advocacy to patients. Experts say there is already a need for chronic illness coaches, community health workers, patient navigators and home modification specialists.

Six months of intensive training in community leadership and health education equipped Olivia Mendez for the job of community health adviser. “Everybody thinks I’m a nurse or a doctor—I can answer your question on any health topic,” says Mendez, 55, of Los Angeles. She coordinates a team of five outreach workers at Esperanza Community Housing who provide information on prevention, wellness, local resources and insurance in schools, clinics, health fairs and residents’ homes. “We live and work in the community, so people trust us when we visit their homes,” she says. “You feel good when you can help someone.”

Education

This field also holds potential for older workers, because half the current teaching force is on the verge of retirement. The 21st-century classroom needs mentor teachers, adjunct professors, teacher aides, content advisers and project coordinators. Some school districts are experimenting with having scientists and engineers advising on curriculum and working alongside classroom teachers.

Senior academic specialist Dan Archabal teaches accounting to graduate and undergraduate liberal arts majors at Northeastern University. “I’m not the classic Ph.D., tenured-track academician,” says Archabal, 63, of Boston, a former chief executive at global accounting and legal firms. “Instead, I’m bringing 29 years in public accounting and six years in legal marketing to the classroom. So I can show kids, ‘Hey, this is how the world really works.’ ”

Green jobs

“If you can run a business or teach, or know about accounting, marketing or manufacturing, you can bring those skills to the green economy,” says Phyllis Snyder of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning in Chicago. Many four-year and community colleges are already offering courses on environment-friendly careers.

In January, the Institute for Extended Learning in Spokane, Wash., launched a “Greening Your Future” course for adults age 50-plus seeking work in the green economy. “Several skilled tradespeople are interested in becoming energy auditors or home retrofit specialists,” says adjunct instructor Jim Wavada. “But we’ve also got a sales and marketing guy, a retired letter carrier and two women who hope to start a home-based business.” Other students are looking into mold mitigation, indoor air quality monitoring, and cost estimation for green remodeling projects.

Scott Wynn’s remodeling business went south when the housing market dried up a few years ago. “I was a one-man shop so I had to find something else,” says Wynn, 53, of San Jose, Calif. His construction background helped him land a job teaching at-risk youth and dislocated workers at the Center for Employment Training, one of 18 nonprofit vocational schools around the country. “When a laid-off worker comes in and says, ‘Hey, I just got an $18-an-hour job,’ that’s really satisfying,” Wynn says. His new role is so rewarding, he says, that he has no plans to return to full-time home remodeling when the economy picks up.

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Elizabeth Pope writes about work and retirement. She lives in Portland, Maine.