A guy I would have a few drinks with every now and then (he is a bit older than me), had been planning a holiday for a few months.
Come the day, he was up early, had a coffee, and into his car (he and his wife had packed it the night before), and set off.
He was 4 hours down the road towards his destination, when the boss rang and asked him if he could come to work!
Talking to him weeks later (I won’t go into details of the phone call with his boss), he said he knew that jobs for older workers were getting harder to come by.
He told me he decided at the moment he was asked to turn around and come to work, he no longer wanted to be part of that company.
He had been putting in the long hours, and doing callouts on weekends he should have been having off, and now this, after having given the company a couple of month’s notice, that he would not be available at this time.
I’ve had my difficulties putting up with some of the crazy workplace rules of some companies too.
It seems to be a rubber band technique, see how far they can stretch you before you snap!
But, he had been learning to fly drones and was undertaking lessons to get his drone accreditations, so he could do photography for real estate agents and wedding photography.
Unlike my experience with drones, watching them crash, losing them, or seeing them attacked by birds!
Jobs For Older Workers
Youth unemployment in many countries is around the 20+% level, and probably much higher when the washup from this covid pandemic is counted.
Older workers once laid off, find it harder to regain employment according to this report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
But these are not the only issues facing older employees.
Age discrimination is rampant according to experts and some employers worry health care premiums will be higher for older workers.
Or that training in new technology might be harder.
And, with the pandemic, there’s the added issue that older workers with health problems are more vulnerable to the virus!
In Australia, the retirement age has already been increased from 65 to 67 years and will increase further in the next couple of years.
Many other countries are following suit trying to cover the black hole in their budgets.
With Corporations looking towards a future of automation and specialization, perhaps thinking if they can just keep older workers for just a few more years, then by the time they are gone those jobs will be automated.
Think car companies.
Update: It now appears that the Great Resignation has become the great unretirement.
Not all are going back to the 9-5 though, they are just becoming economically active.
Many are bored, or the cost of living has hit home, and they have become economically active.
I do know of a school principal who retired (this was pre covid) and became a landscaper.
It was the best thing he could do for his mental and physical health he told me.
What is an Exoskeleton
Exoskeletons have been developed using science (bionics), from the rehabilitation industry that enables people to lift / carry/bend / move things that with constant repetition may otherwise cause injury or long-term mobility issues.
I mentioned car companies and this next shot shows how they are being used at Fiat Chrysler. Probably after looking at that, you might be wishing they had something like that at your workplace before your back or knees gave out.
With technology advancements happening all the time in many manufacturing industries, and companies employing older workers, so they are not tied to a 25 or 30-year employment contract, it is not hard to understand why there is a large pool of unemployed youth.
Industries such as Construction, Agriculture, and Logistics, have a reputation for hard yakka.
These types of employment don’t really appeal to the younger generation, many of whom would probably rather work at building exoskeletons.
However, exoskeletons are proven to be able to reduce the risks of musculoskeletal disorders and other injury-prone areas in these industries.
Although this is still just a dream for many workplaces due to the cost of the exoskeletons.
So, in industries that have a reputation for hiring only the toughest and fittest, Exoskeletons are slowly finding a place in those industries, and older experienced workers are able to increase the time they work in these industries.
Companies adopting the exoskeleton have increased their pool of labor, by having a safer means for workers performing tasks involving heavy labor and saving on insurance costs as well.
Of course, you still need skills to do these jobs, and learning these skills you need full mobility and flexibility, which you would expect to find in the younger generation.
But today’s generation is finding it harder to get jobs because many jobs are now done by robots.
Book learning and lectures are proving to be of little value in the real world when it comes to jobs and having a college or university education does not guarantee you a job.
Take a look on Fiverr, It is not hard to find someone freelancing to pay off college debt.
Quality of life
Life is moving on without you. Your quality of life is of no importance. Increasingly, (it seems for many), you are no more than a cog in the corporate / government machine.
Has it ever been any different though?
The further they can extend your time working for them the better off they will be.
Of course, if you have the money you have other choices. And…
I understand not everyone wants to retire. My father was still building houses in his 70s.
I am sure you would know some people working into their 70s. However…
That was his choice and he enjoyed doing it, he was doing what he wanted to do.
Eventually, new government legislation caught up with him. It all became too bureaucratic and he gave it away.
But time or government legislation catches up with you, and earning a passive income is a better alternative to donning an exoskeleton suit and pretending you’re someone from marvel comics.
Seriously though, although an exoskeleton makes light of heavy work you are essentially ignoring what your body is telling you.
As someone once said “It is not the years left in your life that count, it is the life left in your years”
Quality of life is subjective. While it is great that companies are looking at this opportunity “seriously.”
If 4 workers out of 2500 have access to the exoskeleton as per the Ford video, can be called serious.
For many older workers, the adoption of these technologies will come too late for them to be of any benefit.
So unless you move into another field like my friend with the drones, your retirement could be challenging.
Approaching Retirement
Is hardly the time to take on a new career. The day my friend with the drone “pulled the pin” he was well advanced in his drone course, he knew what he was doing.
If you are a business owner you have options. Whether you keep making pickled radish at your factory, pass it on to your family, or sell it.
For many though, as retirement age nears, it becomes a period of mixed emotions. You may have to find some part-time work to keep topping up the funds.
You may never really retire.
For many business owners, retirement started the day they started their business. Living their dream with a few nightmares created by governments tossed in.
If you have been an employee for most of your life you have skills that can be shared. We are all part of the same world.
The technology available now (see above), gives you the opportunity to live where you want, travel when you feel like it, and design a life that looks the way you dream it could.
Ultimately, what I am talking about is creating what’s important to you. if you want to stay home and generate some funds you could use them to augment your retirement and shore up your nest egg.
What I am going to show you will do that.
You do not have to be an older worker to do this. You can be young, a divorcee wanting to do more than just put food on the table. Perhaps you’re older and want to travel and earn an income while you’re on the road, what I am going to show you will do that.
And make no mistake plenty of people from all walks of life and cultures have already done this.
The question to ask yourself is…
How far could you take this idea or any idea?
To start you do not need any money. Just learn a few basic details and have a good look around for a week or so and see how much there is, to help you get to where you want to go.
You are under no obligation to do anything, and we are not going to bombard you with spammy emails. You might get 3 or 4 over about a month, and if you’re not interested so be it.
But first, do yourself a favor and take a look around. Just click on the green button below.
If you can write you can do this. Just click anywhere on the green button below.
As always your comments are welcome.
