50 Is the New 65: Older Americans Are Getting Booted from Their Jobs -- and Denied New Opportunities

[LiberalElite]

113. To paraphrase from "The Graduate"

One word - "outsourcing". Google work-at-home transcription jobs. See all that piecemeal paid by the line, independent contracting work? It represents what were once decent-paying jobs. I work in a large law firm with a couple dozen offices across the country. They have been steadily reducing the number of secretaries by using the associates to do what we used to do. They also use a handful of their own independent contractors for remote dictation who were once secretaries at the same firm. A couple days ago I was handed a motion for serving - all done already by an associate just needed photocopies and couple of exhibit tabs. What they used to hand write they're now typing. There are always exceptions, it's a big country - but please don't try to tell me what my reality is when I'm living it.

P.S.: That "22-key thing" is used by court reporters, requires specialized training to operate and is not secretarial or administrative work.