{"id":4124,"date":"2009-02-24T09:48:43","date_gmt":"2009-02-24T09:48:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.corporate-eye.com\/?p=4124"},"modified":"2021-01-07T11:59:54","modified_gmt":"2021-01-07T10:59:54","slug":"going-gray","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.corporate-eye.com\/main\/going-gray\/","title":{"rendered":"Going Gray"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Bureau<\/a><\/div>\n

At the level of the national economy, employment news is bad across the board\u2014but even worse for those over 55. The unemployment rate for \u201cseniors\u201d has doubled in the past year, from about 3% to about 6%. And although the hardest hit segment of this group is undereducated men, there is a definite effect for the entire age group. (Urban Institute Report<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Now add the fact that some retirees are returning to the job market, while many workers who might have retired soon can no longer afford to stop working–and you have the makings of a sad story.Or maybe . . . the makings of a happy ending for many companies and job-seekers. Older workers represent a treasure-trove of experience, knowledge and dedication, so having more of them available could be a boon to many companies.<\/p>\n

For a crash course on the benefits of hiring and\/or retaining older workers, check out this summary at Entrepreneur<\/a> and an interesting study by Community Inclusion<\/a>. In a nutshell: older workers bring value-adds of experience, knowledge, and maturity, yet often cost less in terms of total compensation that younger hires.<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019re convinced, consider some of the best practices suggested by the National Older Worker Career Center <\/a>(NOWCC). For online recruiting, best practices come down to two key points:<\/p>\n