There’s a perception problem in the workforce when it comes to the the true value of older workers and midcareer workers in today’s labor market, says Mona Mourshed, the founding global CEO of Generation, a nonprofit that provides free training and job placement for adult learners. She is also a member of the WorkingNation Advisory Board
“Many companies believe that if you are older you are less likely to be adept with technology, to learn new processes, to be able to move with change. As a result, only 15% of (older job) candidates are viewed as fit for purpose to be interviewed, let alone to be hired,” explains Mourshed.
She argues that it is hurting the older adults who want to be a part of the workforce, either out of desire or need. “Nearly 40% of the long-term unemployed in the U.S. and across the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) are midcareer or older workers, point one. Point two is that it becomes much harder to find a job once you pass 50,” she says.
That barrier, she says, come at a time when technology, especially AI, is rapidly changing the workforce. “There is a bias and we should call it that. It is a bias that those who are younger are going to be able to roll with those punches better than those who are older. And yet the reality disproves that case every day,” says Mourshed. That, she adds, has put these workers in the “midst of a paradox situation.”
Mourshed points to a Generation study that finds that when you ask employers who have hired workers 50-plus their assessment of those employees the results are outstanding. “When you look at how midcareer and older workers are performing on the job, about 80%-plus, 85%-plus, (of employers) will say that they are performing as well, if not better, than their youthful peers. That is the crux of the paradox.”
She stresses that while younger workers bring valuable qualities, older workers also bring experience with dealing with challenging and shifting situations along with maturity, judgment, and team work.
Generation also looks to break down barriers for older workers who find challenges just getting an interview. Part of the solution, according to that same study, is more training programs and skills development for workers at older ages and a more targeted job search and placement approach to prevent long-term unemployment.
Since its start in 2015, Generation counts more than 118,000 graduates of its programs in 17 countries. It works to place people in jobs in five sectors: technology, green jobs, healthcare, skilled trades, and customer service and sales.
Mona Mourshed spoke with me on the subject of age, particularly when it comes to older and midcareer adults in the workforce, as part of the Age in America series, a collaboration between WorkingNation and Scripps News Network which began in June.
Watch a clip from our interview below.
Get more of our WorkingNation Age in America articles, videos, and podcasts here.
Get more of Scripps News’ Age in America coverage here.
