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

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

2. 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

3. Background • 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

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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

12. 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 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

13. 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-07-433T, January 2007 GAO-07-438SP, February 2007

14. 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-07-433T, January 2007 • GAO-07-438SP, February 2007

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

16. 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.

17. Most Common Changes Reported by Middle Aged or Retired Persons IMPACT OF CURRENT ECONOMIC SLOWDOWN; AARP Survey of 1000+ people ages 45-65+ http://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/econ/economy_survey.pdf; May, 2008

18. 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

19. 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

20. Smart to Focus on High Growth High Demand Occupations look at http://www.careervoyages.gov

21. 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)

22. Find Occupations to Match One’s Skillshttp://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.

26. 21 Matches

28. Wages and Employment

29. 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.

30. http://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. Skills Gap Analysis

31. Use Keyword or Menu Search

32. Identify Skills

33. Identify Skills

34. Rate Skills

35. Select Work Activities

36. Obtain Final Report

37. Obtain Occupation List by Skill Match

38. Obtain Occupation List by Work Activities

39. Compare to Another Occupation

40. Compare to Another Occupation

41. Find Education and Training Opportunitieshttp://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.

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

44. Service Locator Or use http://www.servicelocator.org

46. General Information

47. Specific Services

48. 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

49. Any Burning Questions?

50. Opportunities for You • Spotlight– www.onetknowledgesite.com • Podcast– audio interview • User-Focused Webinars • Contact sagesolutions@earthlink.net