NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — National employment numbers are slowly dropping, but one age group is not seeing the change.
Dan Hinkson of Springdale owned Heritage Builders of Northwest Arkansas for 35 years before having to close shop in 2007 when the recession hit.
Hinkson, who said he was in the “over 55 age group,” doesn’t see age as being a barrier in his employment search.
“Sometimes we’re told we are overqualified,” he said. “But ability is of little consequence without opportunity.”
He may not see age as being a barrier, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports unemployedolder workers are least likely of all age groups to find jobs. About 15 percent found employment each month in 2009, compared with about 22 percent in 2007, the federal agency reported.
Butch Scruggs, co-founder of The Joseph Project, said the unemployment percentage is artifi cially lowsince many people fall out of the market.
“They just quit looking,” he said. “There is no doubt they are struggling to get back in the job market.”
The Joseph Project is a networking group in Northwest Arkansas for people between jobs with weekly meetings offering job-seeking skills, information and Christian-based encouragement.
Kathy Deck, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Arkansas Walton College of Business, agreed that many of this group’s unemployed won’t re-enter the job force.
“They may not have been considering retirement before the recession, but now are forced to,” she said.
Some people can’t retire because of age or financial status. Deck said many workers put off saving for retirement until the last years of employment when they tend to make the highest salaries.
“This has wide-reaching implications in their spending habits,” she said of the over 55 age group, adding that those not of Social Security or Medicare age are forced to depend on other social programs. “Bridging that gap is a real challenge.”
Her advice is for the unemployed to keep their skills fresh and up-todate.
Deck also said she doesn’t see age as being an issue in hiring.
“What companies try to do is fi nd a good match,” she said.
Labor Finders general manager Thomas Ward also said a good match, not age, is the key to fi nding employment. The employment off ce, based in Florida, has a Springdale off ce.
“We try to match the worker with what the job is,” he said. “Age discrimination has never been a problem.”
Kimberly Friedman, spokeswoman with the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services, said her agency groups “mature workers” at age 50 and older. She said that group isn’t immune from the recession, but she hasn’t witnessed discrimination.
“In some cases they may not be as financially secure as they hoped, so they have to go back to work,” Friedman said.
She said the department helps them freshen resume and interview skills.
“They have a wealth of knowledge. They are dedicated, loyal and dependable workers,” Friedman said. “Anybody who brings them on will be gaining a great employee.”
Experience Works is part of the Arkansas Workforce system and is designed specifically for workers age55 and over.
JoLynn Dunavant is the employment and training coordinator for the program in Benton, Washington, Madison and Carroll counties. The program puts workers on the Experience Works payroll and finds them a place to work as training for 20 hours a week. They are paid minimum wage.
“We all know you can’t live off minimum wage, but they are building a reference or contact,” she said. “Sometimes those host agencies, if they have the money, will hire these people.”
Once training is completed they either find a job or Dunavant said she will help them find additional assistance.
Between 135 and 140 people are on the Northwest Arkansas Experience Works payroll at any given time, she said,and they have 35 on the waiting list.
“Age is not a reason for an employer to look the other way. It’s a reason to hire them,” she said.
David Goodson, assistant director with the Division of Aging and Adult Services that is over Senior Service Employment Program administered by Experience Works, said applicants for the program must also be financially eligible since the program is designed for lowincome seniors.
Mitzi Johnson, program director for AARP’s Work-Search based in Little Rock, said employers want someone they can depend on.
“I have employees seeking us out. They know their work values,” she said. “I think it’s a pretty level playing fi eld and I hope it stays that way.”
Business, Pages 21 on 07/25/2010