WorkShoppers Online

Mandatory retirement ban

For Robert Anderson, it's akin to being saved by the bell.  A few months ago, things looked gloomy for the 64-year-old Simon Fraser University communications professor, who was scheduled to retire when he hits 65 in August despite wanting to keep working for a few more years.  More.

70 is the new 50 as Canada grows up

Older citizens – 60 and up – are not the drain on society that they are often made out to be, according to a report released Tuesday.  Canadians between the ages of 60 and 79 contribute $2.2-billion in tax payments each year and $3.1-billion in volunteer work, HSBC Bank Canada said in issuing the results of a global survey conducted for the bank by Oxford University's Institute of Ageing.  The survey found that there are roughly one million Canadians 60 and older in the paid workforce. Older Canadians also contribute 416-million volunteer hours each year.  Source. 

70 is the new 50 as Canada grows up

Older citizens – 60 and up – are not the drain on society that they are often made out to be, according to a report released Tuesday. Canadians between the ages of 60 and 79 contribute $2.2-billion in tax payments each year and $3.1-billion in volunteer work, HSBC Bank Canada said in issuing the results of a global survey conducted for the bank by Oxford University's Institute of Ageing. The survey found that there are roughly one million Canadians 60 and older in the paid workforce. Older Canadians also contribute 416-million volunteer hours each year.  Source.

Workers allowed to semi-retire and still contribute to pension

The Harper government laid out plans yesterday to help more seniors achieve semi-retirement, moves that should also help Canadian businesses hang on to much-needed experienced workers.  The two key steps are part of the Conservatives' broader effort to quell the anger among many seniors hurt by the government's decision in October to tax income trusts, a popular investment vehicle.  In one of the new measures, the government said it will begin allowing employers to pay a partial pension to an employee while that same worker is also contributing to the pension plan. This will make it easier for retired individuals to return to the work force part time.  It should help Canada's efforts to combat its skills shortage, which is expected to become an increasing problem as the work force ages. The change, expected to carry a small price tag for the government, is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1.  Source.

Website offers retirees a new lease on working life

As the B.C. government prepares to ban mandatory retirement in the province this spring, a growing number of companies are taking a fresh look at hiring older workers as a way to shore up their workforce.  As well, new businesses are starting up that are geared to helping those workers find new jobs or careers as they leave their old ones.  One of those businesses is a Langley-based website called 55pluspros.ca that's been launched to help match older workers with employers seeking experienced and qualified professionals.  Source.

Silver Tsunami looks for job options

Many older workers are willing to stay on in their jobs, or even make a late change in careers.

"Why retire if you don't have to, if you don't want to or if you don't need to? All three applied to me," he said.  Monsour is back in the workforce as a consultant to the tourism and hospitality industry.  He sits on several boards of directors.  And he's happy again.  That seems to apply to many more older workers who no longer see 65, or in some cases 55, as the end of their working lives.  They're part of what pundits are calling "the Silver Tsunami" -- the swelling ranks of seniors who are active, healthy and in some cases, still in the workforce.  Article here.

Seniors homelessness soars

The number of homeless seniors has gone up dramatically in the past five years, according to a survey by the Greater Vancouver Regional District.  The GVRD statistics show the number of older homeless people went up 276 per cent between 2002 and 2005. As of the latest GVRD homelessness report in 2005, there were 171 seniors who were living in shelters or out on the street. A CBC News investigation also found the number of B.C. seniors seeking social housing rose 30 per cent during the same time period.  Full article here.

Health, Job Loss, and Programs for Older Workers in Canada

Older workers represent a growing proportion of the labour force that is expected to reach 40% by the year 2010. Involuntary job loss within this group has also risen markedly over the past two decades. A review of existing research was conducted pertaining to the relationship between health and employment for this population, and programs to address job loss in latter career stages. Program managers and government personnel associated with these programs in British Columbia were also interviewed. While increased recognition of the need for older worker programs in Canada is positive, the top-down nature of their development, implementation and evaluation has meant that they are largely motivated by fiscal agendas. Although unemployment has a deleterious effect upon both the physiological and psychological health of older adults, this association is rarely considered in program planning or evaluation. Several courses of action to improve older worker programs in Canada are proposed. These include: paying greater heed to employment-related health issues; fostering multi-sectoral collaboration between government, business, communities and older workers and; devising evaluation systems that move beyond short-term quantitative methods toward more qualitative, long-term outcome measures. Full article here.

Seniors most often victimized by family member

Seniors are less likely to be the victims of violence and property crimes than younger Canadians, but when they are victimized, it's often at the hands of a family member, according to a new study released Tuesday.  Using results from the 2004 General Social Survey on victimization and police-reported data from the 2005 Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Statistics Canada determined 10 per cent of seniors were victimized in the year preceding the survey, compared to 31 per cent of those under 65 years of age.  Full article here.

Where employers connect to 50+ers

With more than 22,000 registered job-seekers, Retired Worker is a great source of hidden talent - 80% of our job-seekers say that Retired Worker is their primary resource when looking for a job.

Quick facts about our job-seekers:

• 89% have a high-school diploma or better
• 55% have a post-secondary degree
• There are more than 22,000 registered job-seekers across Canada
• We have job-seekers in just about every city and province, from Yellowknife to Halifax and everywhere in between
• 72% are aged 50-64
• Our job-seekers have a wide variety of skills and experience, from certified accountants to engineers to teachers, nurses and dentists
• More than 13% are fluently bilingual (English/French) in a business setting
• 93% have their own computer and use it every day
• 67% say that money is not their first concern when looking for work after retirement

Source.