50% RISE IN JOBLESS OVER 50

According to the charity Age UK and as reported in the Daily Mail, the number of jobless people over 50 has increased by more than 50% in a year and is now at the highest level for a decade.  There are now more than 170,000 in this category that will struggle to find a full-time job ever again.

Despite a lot of fine-sounding rhetoric from government and employers, the fact remains that ageism still exists and is becoming increasingly evident.

It’s all very well for the government to say that they want to reinvigorate retirement and allow people to extend their working lives into their 70’s and beyond, but this presupposes that the jobs are there for them to fill.

Ed Davey, the Employment Relations Minister, said recently that people wanting to extend their working lives should not be prevented from doing so just because they have reached a particular age, but employers seem to be taking a different approach. 

As Mr Brown from Northants said in response to the Mail Online: “These over 50’s should think about working for themselves rather than do the demoralising job search.  There are lots of opportunities out there to start a small business or go self-employed.”

It’s a big decision to start up a small business, but it must be better than sitting around waiting for that illusive job to turn up whilst relying on social welfare.  As the old saying goes: “Every journey starts with a single step.”  And there’s a lot of help and support available for individuals who want to go down that route.  Web sites like www.retirementrevenue.co.uk can give you some ideas about how to get started.

If you’re unfortunate enough to be over 50 and out of work, it is well worth considering striking out on your own and putting your years of experience to good effect.  So much better than doing nothing.

Be well.