Cover story - Getting old on the job

- Rudolph Brown

They may be old, but these hands work just as well as those which are younger. Sometimes the intellect behind it is even better.

Avia Ustanny, Freelance Writer

SHOULD THE age of retirement be lowered so that those who are older will leave paid employment quicker, and the younger Jamaicans who are unemployed can get a chance to work? The thought is not far below the mind's surface in many of the young and the unemployed, it appears. Older Jamaicans who are nearing or past retirement, but still seen in the workplace, were labelled 'dinosaurs who are blocking our progress', by a number of young individuals in an informal survey conducted by Outlook in the last week.

The attitude is symptomatic of the change in culture in society, and in the workplace itself. Here, there is a decline in the high status one associated with age, a decrease in veneration, in respect is noticeable.

The emerging culture states that the fear of technology exhibited by many older persons, their unwillingness to change old ways of getting work done are just some of the reasons why they should shuffle out of the way.

The most compelling one, the young say, is the fact that so many of them are sitting at home unemployed. Something needs to give, they say. Specifically, some say, the old need to give way.

The failure of those who are older to participate in monitoring relationships with younger members of the workforce may also be a contributor to feelings of resentment on the part of those who are younger.

The attitudes of employers are also changing. The trademark loyalty of the old is no longer as valuable as it used to be, it seems.

It most be noted that older workers are also more expensive to hire. In the 1997 publication, 'The Future of Career Development', American writer Bettina Lankard Brown, notes this and states that "The workplace of the future will continue to be youth focused. In a youth-oriented society, diminishing value has been placed on wisdom and experience ­ two qualities descriptive of older workers. As a result, companies have used economics to guide their decisions to replace older, more expensive workers with younger, cheaper ones. Into the next century, there may be some serious ramifications of such 'ageism' biases."

There is one myth that can be debunked. It is not true that the oldest of workers enjoy greater job security than new school leavers. The 2000 Social and Economic Survey shows this.

The two group which in 2000 displayed the lowest employment rates (with increases of less than 1 per cent) were 14-19-year-olds which represented the smallest share in employment (3.9 per cent) and the 55-64 age group which rose by the equally low percentage.

The survey pointed out that in a contracting labour market like Jamaica persons in the retirement zone are heavily represented among displaced workers. In 2000, the largest percentage decline in the labour force occurred among those aged 65 and over which fell by 3.8 per cent.

This week, Outlook examines the role of ageing Jamaicans in the workforce, attitudes towards them, and ask if they need to make themselves more marketable in a youth-oriented culture. Do they need to manage their careers in such a way that they enjoy better relationships with those who are younger?

Should the age of retirement be lowered?