Insurance and older workers

There are certain stigmas that seem to be connected with older workers, such as being unable to learn the latest technologies.  Of course there isn’t any study to back up that assertion but it is still believed by some. Another common myth is that older workers will be sick all the time resulting in many sick days and an increase in the cost of health insurance.  A study by the Government Accountability Office suggests that some employers may take that into account when considering hiring older workers.

“Long-term unemployment can put older workers at risk of deferring needed medical care, losing their homes, and accumulating debt. The experts and staff GAO interviewed at some one-stop career centers, as well as the unemployed older workers who participated in GAO’s focus groups, identified employer reluctance to hire older workers as a key challenge that older workers face in finding reemployment.”

Unfortunately there probably is some truth to this because if you don’t have health insurance than you probably wouldn’t even consider having any type of health procedure being done.  This is a difficult situation to be in and unfortunately there will be probably be a greater number of folks in the near future that will find themselves dealing with the same problem. Lack of health care can be devastating to anyone at any age.

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Jobs with the most growth till 2020

One of the best sources on all things pertaining to jobs is the Occupational Handbook government website. There is so much information there that it is difficult to summarize. Not only does it give a description to just about any job it also projects whether the occupation will be growing into the next decade.

According to the BLS bureau of labor statistics the following ten occupations will see the most growth until 2020.

1. Personal Care aides – it only makes sense that personal care jobs would be a popular occupation in the future considering that the overall age of the country is getting older.  While there would be a lot of personal satisfaction in helping others unfortunately the starting salary is rather low.
2. Home Health aides - similar to personal care aides in what they do and how much they get paid.
3. Bio mechanical engineers – this occupation deals with biology and medicine and it requires an engineering degree.  Because of the difficulty of the work the pay is quite good.
4. Construction laborers and helpers – whether these types of jobs pick up over the next few years will depend mostly on the economy and if the housing market picks up as well.
5. Carpenters – Like number 4 abundant carpentry works will depend on the economy.
6. Veterinary Technologists and Technicians – no matter whether the economy is booming or not more and more people are becoming pet owners and of course that means the veterinary offices will be busy and will require a lot of help in the future.
7. Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers – specialized construction work will once again depend on the housing and commercial building market
8. Physical therapist assistants – this is related to number one and number two on the list, an older population will need more therapy.
9. Pipe layers and plumbers – another job field relying on the upcoming housing market rise.
10. Meeting, convention and event planners – increased job growth overall will help grow this group of jobs.

Are you recareering?

Is it time for a career change? For many who have worked in a particular field for most of their career consider changing to an occupation that they may have wanted to do for quite a while.  This is recareering which has become more and more popular as the population grows older.

 

Why change your career at this point in life?

You may have a lot of experience in your present job and you are valued as an employee for your company but still you feel something is missing. Whether it is a new challenge or just boredom a new career in a new field might bring back the passion that has possibly gone with your present position.  It certainly isn’t a decision to make lightly however the benefits from this major transition will probably end up being very rewarding.

Things to think about before making the move

Whenever you make a big change in life it seems that money somehow gets into the equation and it is no different with recareering. Most folks remember how much they made at the beginning of their working career, it wasn’t much.  If your plan is to change careers you probably can expect to take a cut in pay at first, but this might not be a deal breaker for you because what you are ultimately doing isn’t about money, it is more about personal fulfillment.  And if you are older and more settled financially it will seemingly make the change much easier.

Another aspect of a new employment field is learning new things and not being able to count on past experiences to help you through some situations.  You will definitely be leaving your present comfort zone. Although there are some people skills that you have obtained through the years that you will be able to carry to just about any job.

Change, especially major change, can be challenging in most everyone’s life.  Weighing the positives and negatives of change may help or it even might make things worse, it is hard to say. But one thing is for sure living with the regret of not attempting to do something that you always wanted to do can be a heavy burden to carry.

Hot job sectors for 2013

If you have been unemployed for a while or have just recently lost your job then looking for work is at the top of your to-do list. Even if you have been discouraged by the lack of jobs and the economic outlook of the past few years, 2013 is a new year to refresh your job searching skills and your attitude toward job searching. In fact there are areas of the economy that are starting to recover from the long and deep recession of the past several years.  Areas like housing are slowly coming around which will help other business sectors pick up.  Employment in 2013 should also be on the rise as well.

 

 

 

 

Job sectors to look at in 2013

The health care industry has been a leading employment provider for many years and it probably will be for some time to come. All areas of health care from Doctors, nurses, technicians, and supporting staff will be in demand. Another hot job area that is connected to health care is providing care to the elderly this is especially vital due to the aging population that will require more help in the future.  Of course with the new affordable health care act there may be some challenges to deal with.

Resources on the web for jobs in 2013

Top 10 jobs for 2013 from Forbes

Fastest growing careers for AOL

The best jobs of 2013 from US News

Technology seems to change constantly whether it is new smart phones or tablets or even the old standbys such as PCs or laptops.  The companies that are behind that change need more workers to keep them in pace with the rest of the industry.  This certainly wouldn’t change anytime soon because we rely so much on the internet and tech gadgets in our everyday life.  New technology also brings with it a lot of jobs that are usually good paying.  2013 should be a great year for the tech industry.

 

Another sector that will be great for employment in 2013 is the energy field especially in certain areas of the country. As most folks know there has been an oil boom in North Dakota in the past few years.  Folks have moved from all over the country to find employment. While there are jobs to be found there are also some challenges as well. The towns that need the most workers aren’t equipped to handle the number of folks that are moving there. This has put quite a strain on the local population having to cope with the incredible increase in the number of people moving in.

Is 2013 going to be a great year for jobs and the economy, maybe not great but it seems like it will be the best in years. Hopefully this year will just be the beginning of thriving economy that will last for quite a while.

 

Finding jobs on company websites

As everyone knows by now the internet is the place to look for jobs. That’s not to say that you should use other means such as networking to seek employment but the web is definitely the main location for all things concerning job advice, job news and finding a job.  What is even more direct is going to a company’s website and seeing what particular jobs they are offering at the moment.

There are quite a few job sites like monster.com, careerbuilder.com and indeed.com that list thousands of jobs in places all over the country, these websites also offer a lot of great career advice.  But if you have a particular company in mind or a particular industry you should go straight to the company’s web page.

I read an article in aol jobs about what companies are now hiring. While some of the companies were mostly hiring seasonal workers (which isn’t a bad way to get your foot in the door) some of those listed were hiring full time employees, such as united healthcare, they are seeking 2600 jobs right now on their site! This is just one example of companies looking for employees through their company website.

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Funeral director jobs

 

Not everyone is retiring at the age of 65 for the obvious reason that they just can’t afford to in this economy. If you are in your sixties and are still working you would probably think twice about retiring considering all the older folks that have been unemployed and looking for work. What’s interesting is where you will find the most workers over the age of 65.

In an article from aol.com they listed the top eight jobs with workers over the age of 65. Number one was embalmers and number two was funeral attendants. That seems strange and I’m not quite sure why older folks would want to work in a funeral home but this fact tells you that there will be opening in these fields in the coming years.

You would definitely have to have a certain kind of person to work in a funeral home what with dealing with death and the sadness of families dealing putting with their loved ones to rest. 

According the Occupational Outlook handbook the job market for funeral directors should grow at 18 percent over the next ten years or so.  An associate degree is required and those with embalming skills will have the best opportunities.

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Are there solar jobs out there?

After the Presidential election of 2012 it is probably fair to say that the country will continue to search for more green energy. Of course coal and other traditional forms of energy will still be around environmental concerns as well as monetary concerns will drive the country toward energy sources such as wind and solar. This in turn should increase employment opportunities in these fields.

The amount of energy that the country gets from solar and wind is minuscule compared to coal, oil and natural gas. And that is understandable because these forms of energy especially natural gas are abundant in the USA.  Unfortunately using this energy sources aren’t necessarily good for the environment. That’s why solar energy is continued to be looked as an alternative.

Solar energy will also mean a new stream of employment

According to the website energy.gov “The latest U.S. figures from The Solar Foundation, an independent research organization, show a 13 percent growth in high-skilled solar jobs spanning installations, sales, marketing, manufacturing and software development -- bringing total direct jobs to 119,000 in the sector.”

Another important thing to remember is that the government will continue to subsidize the solar energy which will make it attractive to future investors.

The coal, natural gas and petroleum will still be used to power the vast majority of businesses and households throughout the country but solar would still increase its share in the coming future.

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