Seniors Working Much Longer As Times Are Changing!

There are a growing number of people for whom retirement age has lost its meaning. They're staying on the job longer some for personal satisfaction, others out of necessity. Some are even working into their 90s. About 6.4 percent of Americans 75 or older, or slightly more than 1 million, were working last year. That's up from 4.7 percent a decade before, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. About 3.4 percent of Americans 80 or older were in the work force last year, up from 2.7 percent from the previous decade. Melanie Holmes, vice president of corporate affairs for Manpower Inc., an employment services company recently said that "For the first time in history, four generations are working together".

With the first wave of baby boomers reaching the traditional retirement age, Manpower has urged companies to start thinking about ways to retain and recruit older workers, through flexible scheduling. This will help them fill positions as the labor pool shrinks. Older workers often bring experience and a strong work ethic, but they may have a different style of work due to the advanced technology and they may be better at face-to-face contact than electronic communications. It is also more likely that they may adhere more strictly to company rules.

Still some companies are reluctant to hire older workers. A survey last year by Manpower found that 24 percent of employers viewed expectations for higher salary or stature as one of the top roadblocks to hiring older workers, while 21 percent cited health care costs. Nevertheless, after decades of decline, the number of workers 55 and older began to rise about a decade ago and that trend has accelerated since 2000, labor officials said. Experts cite several factors for the growth, including people living longer and the Senior Citizens Freedom to Work Act in 2000, which allowed workers 65 through 69 to earn as much money as they want without losing any Social Security benefits. Other reasons include the gradual increase in when they start receiving Social Security benefits from 65 to 67 and a decline in traditional pensions and retiree health benefits.

Many are choosing to start their own Internet business, both for income and to keep active. One of the easy ways to do this, if you are reading this, is as close as the crazy banner button on the uppler right side of this page that says "It Ain't Rocket Science" or Click Here