When young and old compete for low-wage jobs

The job market continues to amaze me.  

Because as much as the big picture seems to change, some timeless trends remain the same.

For example, when it comes to today’s job market, the graying of America is clearly happening, reflective of past eras when lower-level jobs attracted younger people seeking their first job and plenty of older retirees looking to stay in the game.  

It’s true that more people are opting to retire at 55 and 60, even younger. And many “older” Americans are working longer after the accepted retirement age of 65.  

There are those who are financially able to fully retire, but when they do, they quickly get bored. With too much free time on their hands, they miss having a sense of fulfillment as well as miss being around their co-workers.

Then we hear of older workers who haven’t saved enough money and need to work into older age just to make ends meet. That’s when the sting of reality sinks in.

Meanwhile, regaining that sense of achievement can be especially hard to quantify. 

It’s the need to feel productive, accomplishing something, anything, that seems worthwhile. Most of these older workers care less about having a steady income and more about how it makes them feel.  

Many times, their choice of post-career work is in a volunteer role, helping those less fortunate than themselves, without stress, pressure and deadlines.

Let’s remember, too, that today’s older Americans are much healthier than most of their predecessors. They still feel good, have positive attitudes, and want to lead productive lives. 

But they’d rather not work 50 or 60 hours a week like they used to.

A successful career in retailing

A good example of this is a friend of mine named Dudley, who enjoyed a very successful career in retailing as general manager of a successful department store here in San Diego.  

When he decided to retire at 65, he was in good health, accustomed to being active, and had enjoyed interacting with his staff and customers. He was also relieved that he didn’t have to work anymore. 

He was done.

Next thing I knew, he told me that he had enrolled in a monthlong class to learn to be a certified school bus driver. 

He had always been an early riser, so driving at 6:30 in the morning wasn’t an issue. He liked the flexibility of working the morning shift, then having four or five hours to relax, and then return for the afternoon shift.  

Luckily, he enjoyed being around children, so it worked out for several years. What’s more, he became friends with his fellow bus drivers.

Most importantly, he felt like he was doing something worthwhile. He had the time of his later life.

Looking for end-of-career jobs

As in past decades, we have lots of teenagers looking for that first job and plenty of older folks — parents and grandparents — looking for end-of-career jobs.

The result is an age difference of 40, 50 or even 60 years in the ages of those applying for and doing the same jobs.

In retail there are plenty of lower-level jobs like stocking shelves, and in fast-food service, there are jobs like food prep and working the cash register.  

These jobs are “ease of entry” with no long-term training needed, typically with lower-level wages, but flexible work schedules.

Amid all this, when you’re looking for a job, always be aware of the need to be your own effective career coach. 

Whatever your age, think about what you like to do, and are hopefully good at, and strategize on where you should put your efforts in education, training and where the future of work is going.  

Keep in mind that “people skills” matter now more than ever, no matter your age.

Network like crazy and follow the trends in any field you are considering for your career. 

Be ready to make sharp turns, to the right or left, whenever you see significant changes on the horizon.

Prepare yourself now to successfully compete.

As always, that goes for young and old alike.

Blair is co-founder of Manpower Staffing and can be reached at pblair@manpowersd.com.