Unemployment Rises for Oregon’s Oldest and Youngest Workers

Email to a friend Permalink

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Joanna Evoniuk, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Although unemployment is dropping across the state, Oregon’s oldest and youngest workers are struggling to find jobs.  

Last year, unemployment rose by 0.7 percent for Oregon workers over the age of 55, yet fell by 0.8 percent for the state overall, according to the Oregon Employment Department. Workers aged 16-24 also saw a slight increase in unemployment.

“Age discrimination [in the workplace] is waiting for you right on the other side of your 40th birthday,” said Jean Erickson Walker, an executive career coach based in Portland. “Older and younger generations have to understand what the market needs and how to provide it.”

Although there are more jobs on the market following the recession, workers on both ends of the age spectrum are fighting growing competition from peers.

Employers fear young millennials will not work hard and that baby boomers will struggle to follow orders, according to Walker.

Unemployment In Oregon
Unemployment in Oregon continues to make a slow recovery from the recession. Since 2010, unemployment in the state has dropped by more than three percent. Labor-force participation also grew last year. 

Yet the oldest and  youngest workers saw an increase in unemployment last year. Nick Beleickis, an economist at the Oregon Employment Department, said this was partially due to more of both very young and very old members of the work force searching for jobs as the economy improved. 

Workers over 55 years old have increased their prescience in the workforce over the last decades, according Beleickis, and often work past the traditional retirement age of 65. 

A common reading of this trend is that aging Baby Boomers need to keep working for economic reasons. However, Walker said it often comes down to personal choice. 

“People are healthier and at the peak of their professional careers, expertise, and experience,” Walker said. “The biggest reason [they keep working] is they enjoy the challenge.”

Although older workers are looking for chances to expand their experience, Walker said most employers will not hire older applicants because they are perceived as inflexible and troublesome to manage. In a market with quickly changing goals and an increased focus on technology, these employees are viewed as a threat. 

However, Joe Cortright, economist and founding director of City Observatory, said the older employees who keep working are generally the ones who know what they’re doing.

“Well educated people tend to stay in the labor force longer,” Cortright said.

Young Millennials
Although employers are looking for younger hires, they tend to shy away from millennials in their early 20s.  

“They are perceived as the products of helicopter parents who hover over their children. That age group is seen as overly protected,” Walker said.

Walker points to the example of a company in Chicago that wanted to interview a young applicant from Boston. However, the company was concerned when the mother asked for an extra ticket, as she would be attending the interview.  

At a time when business is moving at a fast pace, Walker said companies do not want to deal with developing young, inexperienced employees. 

Higher unemployment rates for Oregon’s youngest workers has long been a concern to the state's employment department. 

A report by the Oregon Employment Department in 2014 found unemployment among 16-24-year-olds had been on the rise for years, and labor participation rates were low.

“They’re not getting the job experience that will pay off for their rest of their careers,” Beleickis said.

Walker said millennials just starting their careers need to be willing to take lower entry-level jobs and build up their credentials. In the meantime, older generations need to be allowed to use their skills to help companies, Walker said.

“The marketplace is losing valuable experience and expertise at time when it is growing and in need of those skills,” Walker said.

---

Related Slideshow: Oregon’s 20 Best Jobs That Don’t Require a College Degree

Enjoy this post? Share it with others.

Email to a friend Permalink