Yahoo has an article today about people in the US who are forcibly retired.
They list five reasons for this, including incurring a disability, taking on caregiver responsibilities, lack of skills suitable for new jobs, successful businesses shutting down, and late career layoffs. Perhaps I'm wrong, but the way I read the article led me to feel the writer was struggling to find ways of explaining massive unemployment for people in the later stages of their careers, while avoiding placing any responsibility on korporate interests.
When talking about late career layoffs, the article says,
"A layoff late in your career. It's not always easy to see the warning signs of layoffs before they happen. Job loss can be especially traumatic for older employees. It generally takes older workers much longer than young people to find a new job, and some people never end up landing a new gig. While there are things you can do while unemployed to boost your job prospects like volunteering or retraining for a new career, employers are sometimes reluctant to take on people they fear will retire soon. The best way to prepare for a late-career layoff is often to save as much as you can while you still have a job."
I can't help myself. Let's dissect this to see if we can find any absurdities or white-wash attempts, shall we?
"It's not always easy to see the warning signs of layoffs..." Oh really? Huh. I guess watching the American korporate landscape fill with giant voracious roll-up companies and private equity firms is too difficult to see? I'd have to guess, too, that watching US manufacturing and product development jobs being handed to Chinese citizens is too difficult? I imagine that it's particularly difficult to see when thousands of colleagues suddenly no longer show up for work because they've been laid off, right?
"Job loss can be especially traumatic for older employees..." Yer. Yes. It think it is. Can you imagine having a decent paying job until someone thinks you're too expensive? Can you imagine how it might feel to know you've spent 30 years of your life developing highly specialized skills, only to learn that some bozo at the top "knows" that replacing you with 7 completely incapable Chinese citizens is the "best thing" for the company?
"It generally takes older workers much longer... to find a new job, and some people never end up landing a new gig." OK. So here is a complete sentence that I can take without reading without too much sarcasm.
"While there are things you can do while unemployed to boost your job prospects..." Right! And I'm the Easter Bunny. From what I have experienced, the only prospect for finding a new job is to whore yourself out at a fraction of your original salary. Companies don't care what you know. They only care about how much it costs them to put you in one of their cubes in the cube farm to tappity-tap on a keyboard to make knowledge (in whatever form) that will fill the executive staff's piggy banks.
"...employers are sometimes reluctant to take on people they fear will retire soon." Uh. No. Please read the previous paragraph for a more complete explanation why this sentence fragment is pure bullshit. OK. You want some evidence about why the Yahoo sentence is such a foolish statement? Well, look at what they found in Germany. Employees of a certain age were found to be more productive at 24 hours a week than younger employees working a full 40 hour week! All older employees want is health care coverage and to be allowed to work the aforementioned 24hour week. They knew they would take a pay cut, but the money isn't what mattered as much as enjoying life while remaining productive in some capacity. What's lacking in America is korporate will to day anything differently than what they presently do.
"The best way to prepare for a late-career layoff is often to save as much as you can while you still have a job." [Shaking my head in exasperation] When you look at US savings rates, you quickly realize that Americans are once again living off their credit cards. OF COURSE it's best to save as much money as you can against the day korporate overlords don't want you around! Yet, this is not how many Americans live their lives.
It's frustrating to read the American press and to see there is no responsibility placed on supposed "job creators". It's exasperating to read that American workers are expected to take full responsibility for not only themselves but the entire US economy. It's hard to match expectations for spending as much as you can to prop up korporate profits with comments about people needing to save money.
In most worlds, these kinds of contradictions would be considered serious signs of insanity.
They list five reasons for this, including incurring a disability, taking on caregiver responsibilities, lack of skills suitable for new jobs, successful businesses shutting down, and late career layoffs. Perhaps I'm wrong, but the way I read the article led me to feel the writer was struggling to find ways of explaining massive unemployment for people in the later stages of their careers, while avoiding placing any responsibility on korporate interests.
When talking about late career layoffs, the article says,
"A layoff late in your career. It's not always easy to see the warning signs of layoffs before they happen. Job loss can be especially traumatic for older employees. It generally takes older workers much longer than young people to find a new job, and some people never end up landing a new gig. While there are things you can do while unemployed to boost your job prospects like volunteering or retraining for a new career, employers are sometimes reluctant to take on people they fear will retire soon. The best way to prepare for a late-career layoff is often to save as much as you can while you still have a job."
I can't help myself. Let's dissect this to see if we can find any absurdities or white-wash attempts, shall we?
"It's not always easy to see the warning signs of layoffs..." Oh really? Huh. I guess watching the American korporate landscape fill with giant voracious roll-up companies and private equity firms is too difficult to see? I'd have to guess, too, that watching US manufacturing and product development jobs being handed to Chinese citizens is too difficult? I imagine that it's particularly difficult to see when thousands of colleagues suddenly no longer show up for work because they've been laid off, right?
"Job loss can be especially traumatic for older employees..." Yer. Yes. It think it is. Can you imagine having a decent paying job until someone thinks you're too expensive? Can you imagine how it might feel to know you've spent 30 years of your life developing highly specialized skills, only to learn that some bozo at the top "knows" that replacing you with 7 completely incapable Chinese citizens is the "best thing" for the company?
"It generally takes older workers much longer... to find a new job, and some people never end up landing a new gig." OK. So here is a complete sentence that I can take without reading without too much sarcasm.
"While there are things you can do while unemployed to boost your job prospects..." Right! And I'm the Easter Bunny. From what I have experienced, the only prospect for finding a new job is to whore yourself out at a fraction of your original salary. Companies don't care what you know. They only care about how much it costs them to put you in one of their cubes in the cube farm to tappity-tap on a keyboard to make knowledge (in whatever form) that will fill the executive staff's piggy banks.
"...employers are sometimes reluctant to take on people they fear will retire soon." Uh. No. Please read the previous paragraph for a more complete explanation why this sentence fragment is pure bullshit. OK. You want some evidence about why the Yahoo sentence is such a foolish statement? Well, look at what they found in Germany. Employees of a certain age were found to be more productive at 24 hours a week than younger employees working a full 40 hour week! All older employees want is health care coverage and to be allowed to work the aforementioned 24hour week. They knew they would take a pay cut, but the money isn't what mattered as much as enjoying life while remaining productive in some capacity. What's lacking in America is korporate will to day anything differently than what they presently do.
"The best way to prepare for a late-career layoff is often to save as much as you can while you still have a job." [Shaking my head in exasperation] When you look at US savings rates, you quickly realize that Americans are once again living off their credit cards. OF COURSE it's best to save as much money as you can against the day korporate overlords don't want you around! Yet, this is not how many Americans live their lives.
It's frustrating to read the American press and to see there is no responsibility placed on supposed "job creators". It's exasperating to read that American workers are expected to take full responsibility for not only themselves but the entire US economy. It's hard to match expectations for spending as much as you can to prop up korporate profits with comments about people needing to save money.
In most worlds, these kinds of contradictions would be considered serious signs of insanity.
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