Jobs scarce for older NEPA workers
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BY DENISE ALLABAUGH
John Carpenetti, 56, has spent more than a year searching for a job since the bleak economy forced him to close a restaurant he owned in White Haven.
When gas prices exceeded $4 a gallon last year, business steeply declined at Pizza Como near Jack Frost Big Boulder ski area in Blakeslee. Mr. Carpenetti could no longer keep it open, and he joined a growing number of people 55 and older who are looking for work.
After applying to about 50 places and getting no calls, the Bear Creek resident is now temporarily working at CareerLink in Wilkes-Barre helping seniors prepare resumes and find jobs. He sees a growing number of older people looking for work. He recently assisted a 72-year-old man who lost the job he had for more than 20 years.
Older workers are hitting the work force in record numbers during the recession and many may have a harder time finding work as competition for job openings is fierce. Over the past two years, the number of Americans 55 and older who are working has climbed by nearly 1.5 million, to more than 26 million in March, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The number of people age 55 and older who want a job but can't find one has more than doubled in the same period, to nearly 1.8 million.
A federally funded program places unemployed senior citizens age 55 and older in temporary jobs at non-profit agencies until they find a permanent job.
Mr. Carpenetti got his job through this program after working with the Area Agency on Aging for Luzerne and Wyoming Counties.
His job, which pays minimum wage, is short-term, he said, until he can find a sales job. Finding a permanent job has been difficult for Mr. Carpenetti, who once ran a flea market in Blakeslee, previously owned four Nascar stores throughout Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton and Scranton and worked in sales prior to owning a restaurant for six years.
"There's not a lot out there," he said.
He finds job-searching has gotten easier because you can use a computer to look for work, and many recruiters want only e-mailed applications. However, he said about half the senior citizens he assists are unfamiliar with technology, including online networking sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook. CareerLink offers computer training.
Linda Kohut, director of community services at the Area Agency on Aging for Luzerne and Wyoming Counties, helps people age 55 and older find short-term jobs at non-profit agencies paying the minimum wage rate of $7.15 per hour. They receive training as they look for a permanent job.
Ms. Kohut said she sees a major increase in senior citizens looking for work during the recession. Many are highly educated, she said, and many of their savings are in shambles and their home values deflated. And, they are competing with younger rivals.
"With the market so competitive, it's difficult for anyone to get a job," she said. "So many companies are downsizing. People who thought they would be out of work for a short time are now out longer and longer."
Phil Semenza, employment and training coordinator for Experience Works, also finds more seniors are searching for jobs. He helps senior citizens age 55 and over in Lackawanna, Bradford, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Monroe, Montgomery, Pike, Sullivan, Susquehanna and Wayne counties receive training through the senior community service employment program. His organization partners with the Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging.
The program, funded in 1965 through the Older Americans Act, provides about $400 million to employ and train 65,000 seniors nationwide, he said. Seniors work 20 hours a week for minimum wage at non-profit agencies, at no cost to the agencies, for up to four years, he said.
Gene Burnard, publisher of the job-listing Web site, Workforce50.com, said more seniors 55 and older are looking for work because many have been laid off. Many who retired also find it necessary to return to the workforce for economic reasons, he said.
"It's a competitive market regardless of what age you are," Mr. Burnard said. "It can be more competitive if you are on the older side of 50."
Employers may first look for younger workers, he said, but there are benefits of having a multi-generational workforce. Older workers typically are dependable, have a good work ethic and are excellent mentors for young workers, who can learn from their experience, he said. People older than 50 are the most under-utilized in the workforce, he said.
"It is more difficult for the older worker to find work that they are qualified for," he said. "They're finding employers say they're overqualified even though many older workers will take less than what they were making before."
Contact the writer: dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com For more info
For more information about a federally funded community service employment program for seniors age 55 and older, call the Area Agency on Aging for Luzerne and Wyoming Counties at 822-1158, Luzerne County CareerLink at 826-2401, Lackawanna County CareerLink at 963-4671 or Experience Works at 278-4009.
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