General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Unemployable At 50 Fate Of Present And Future Workers [View all]Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)Sorry, I should have made that clear. I live in an area, and work in a field, that started hiring again last year.
I'm not blaming the applicant, and didn't mean it to sound that way. But the agent was telling me what she had personally seen. There ARE people who look like they haven't moved into the 21st century, who look much older than they are, are very unhealthy (and look it), etc.
We all have to compete for jobs, even when there are jobs to be had. If you look at it from the employer's point of view, they want a reliable, healthy, pleasant, intelligent person as an employee, who will get along with others in the company, show up for work and not call in sick, and do good work. An older person should have racked up some length of time on one job, and should be able to have at least one reference from a supervisor. That's the bad thing about being older. If you're 35, you can get away with never having stayed anywhere for 5 years. But when you're 55, you need to have a length of time at one place.
What happened to you may be that...once you're unemployed, it gets harder as time passes to find a job. Employers may be thinking there's a reason no one has hired you yet? Something like that.
I don't know your history, so can't say what your situation is. But I agree that starting your own business takes MONEY...which you don't have when you're unemployed.
I had a Plan A, a Plan B, and a not so good Plan C, though. Just in case I couldn't find a job locally. It involved moving. You can't move? It takes money to move, but I have a house I could sell. I also thought about working at a fast food joint, but I thought moving might be better. I thought people wouldn't want to hire an older worker for a job where I'd stand on my feet all day, also.
I hope things get better for you soon. I feel your pain. I was unemployed at 58 and scared to death, plus really upset at how I'd been treated at my company, after years of dedication. It was a very bad time. I went to my doctor for drugs......I was so upset I could barely function. Until then, I didn't believe in taking drugs. The drugs helped. Getting a job helped more, though. Good luck.