Bye, boomer: the coming cull of workers over 50

Marketwatch ^ | July 30 2020 | By Brett Arends

[rintintin]

Uh-oh. Those of us who remember when ’80s music was new had better start bracing ourselves for those big-box-store greeter jobs earlier than we expected.

It doesn’t take a genius to see that the jobs market is probably heading for a massive, rolling shakeout. And that means plenty of employers may be using the cover of COVID-19 to get rid of lots of expensive older workers.

Age discrimination in the jobs market, which is supposedly illegal, goes up in recessions. Some employers take the opportunity to ax experienced workers who are paid a reasonable wage, and replace them with cheap, desperate kids who will put up with anything.

[Big Red Badger]

I’m Done hitting the
Alarm clock I’ll go into
Antiques and go broke!

[CFW]

You should fear the fact that once we Boomers are gone, nobody and I mean NOBODY will know how to work.

I told my husband several years ago that by 2025 institutions and infrastructers would start failing (maybe I was a bit optimistic in my timeline), because hires would be for diversity rather than experience and ability.

I see that forecast coming true. When you have a business, whether in manufacturing or education, hiring a person based on their sex or color of their skin, rather than the ability to perform the job, then you will see failure. Such as bridges collapsing (look up the Florida bridge failure) and institutions fail (look up failing colleges).

I'm afraid we have reached that point earlier than I anticipated.

[slouper]

Not really, I’m 58 and was invited to retire. Fortunately I got a great deal and was more than happy to turn it over to the punks.

[IndispensableDestiny]

Silent Generation refers to people who were born between 1925 and 1945.

You are forgetting the Silent Generation born from 1925 to 1945. I'm a Boomer, both of my parents are from the Silent. My childhood friends' parents were a mix of Greatest and Silent.

[ASA Vet]

I asked on of the young new hires on their first day when he goes for his drug test. He went outside for a smoke break and didn't come back.

It was a mom & pop Pizza shop. The boss didn't pay for drug screens, as he knew few of his employees would pass one.

Few employees stayed over a month. Most left when they got their first check.

I did almost 7 years as a retired old fart. I didn't need the money, just did it to get out of the house for a few hours a day.

[CARTOUCHE]

There are thousands of trucking jobs available with free or low cost training. Doesn’t matter if you are 50, 60, or 70, get your CDL and off you go.

[notpoliticallycorewrecked]

“and replace them with cheap, desperate kids who will put up with anything.”

Bhahahah There is only a small percentage of those under 50 that actually want to work and an even smaller percentage that actually know HOW to work. Employers will be begging those that have life experience, understand the meaning of service, show up on time, don’t leave early, and don’t whine, to come to work for them.

[Levy78]

Hey brother, I’m GenX .... I don’t have a dog in this fight.

[fuente]

Been going on for some time. I am a third party recruiter...see it every day.

[momtothree]

“.. American kids aren’t desperate...”

I have to disagree. I know a ton of recent college grad students that are working at very low income/part time jobs right now in warehouses etc. I also know a ton who were doing their unpaid/or low paid internships and told there is a hiring ban so they can leave or continue to work 80 hours essentially free. I would say desperate is a poor word choice because it isn’t like they are robbing banks (oh wait.. ours is only open if you have an appointment beforehand). I would say they are more dismayed and frightened about their futures. To be honest.. so am I.

[yldstrk]

Glad I work for myself

[Colorado Doug]

Ask any employer............ they’ll tell you that one Boomer is worth 5 Millennials.

That is normally true but I have been fortunate to have had a couple of really fine Millennials work for me over the last year or two. Good parents makes all the difference. I couldn't say enough good things about these ones. Of course, I've had some real duds too. A couple of Boomer duds as well. The quality of an individual is not based on their age. It's just harder to find good Millennials because of all the indoctrination that they have been subjected to.

[Colorado Doug]

Last job I left they had to hire TWO young punks to replace me. So much for saving money. /i>

Obamacare plays a big role. Your insurance probably cost more than four or five young punks.

[dfwgator]

Which is why we need to figure out how to decouple health insurance from employment.

[palmer]

Of course we need to get rid of SS. And of course we will keep the people on it who are on it, and give benefits to those who will soon be on it. It's a red herring to believe that we must cut the current recipients. I am 57 and would be glad to opt out completely, give up my so-called benefits, and still pay for the existing recipients.

[Cato in PA]

Millennials are in an interesting position. We’re the last generation that remembers what the world was like before all of this started: the Internet, social media, the moral disintegration of society. Like it or not, we’re the torch bearers of the old world if there are to be any.

Keep in mind that some of us got off to a very rocky start. I, for instance, graduated at the precise stroke of the Great Recession, and it wasn’t until years later that I was able to really get a career going. I have friends from back in the day who haven’t been so lucky.

But because of what we’ve been entrusted with, I’m confident that there will still be some of us - like me and your son, I hope - who will remember the faith, hope, and simple blessings in life that got us through previous crises.

[rintintin]

“Of course we need to get rid of SS. “

Spoken like a classic pre-Trump establishment Republican. Romney, McCain, Dole and other losing GOO candidates for the White House couldn’t have said it more succinctly.

[Chickensoup]

Congratulations

[ckilmer]

I started my own business about 15 years ago. Have had to change the business model several times. These days the business about runs on auto pilot and I trade the market.

I’m much happier trying to figure out a way to make a living on my own.

[Tired of Taxes]

age discrimination is real very very real

The irony is, these young leftists, screaming about discrimination, never mention discrimination against older workers. Someone should mention that to them. Curious to hear their reaction, though I'd expect them to respond that older people should get out of the way to make way for them.