- Some older professionals have taken blue -colored jobs in response to a white collar hiring.
- Blue collar roles help some people reach both ends while they are continuing their job research.
- Transition to blue collar work can be accompanied by a reduction in wage and curriculum vitae challenges.
After a riddled decade of dismissals, professional exhaustion and unsuccessful interviews, Donald Malone, 65, decided that it was time to take a break in the business world as a consultant.
Finding alternative income was more difficult than he expected, and he was unable to correspond to his annual salary of $ 60,000 previous.
After dozens of applications, the New Jersey resident found a job on Craigslist for a company that makes the machines manufactured paper and cardboard. The position of the blue passes paid approximately half of his salary in white collar but travel expenses and covered car. He also worked for various retail companies of cars and held a part -time security position winning $ 1,200 per month, although he could not obtain any post of white collar.
However, after a heart attack and a stroke earlier this year, he did not work. He relies on his monthly Social Security payment of $ 2,187, which covers his mortgage, but he fears that his skills have not been in place and that his age and time outside the white collars could be a detriment.
“I am not a sofa potato or someone who likes to get up and lose the day doing nothing,” said Malone, adding that he plans to take real estate.
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Dozens of older Americans recently declared to Business Insider that they had struggled to reintegrate the workforce of white collars after a layoff. Many suspected their age or salary expectations which made them hiring less desirable than young workers, which led some to rotate careers. While some said that they had adopted less paid blue collar jobs as truck drivers or guards, others reluctantly took the work they could while postulating elsewhere. BI has spoken to five older Americans for this story.
Older Americans have good reasons to believe that their job research has been more difficult this year than before. Excluding a two-month drop linked to the pandemic in 2020, American companies have hired almost the lowest rate since 2013. In addition, a collapse of hiring in white collar means that in sectors such as marketing, banks and finances, jobs have dropped from their work platform considerably. Meanwhile, 2024 AARP Research revealed that almost two thirds of workers 50 or more have experienced or experienced discrimination based on the age of the workplace.
Admittedly, the unemployment rate of Americans aged 55 and over was 3% in January, which remains near historic stockings. In addition, it is not only older Americans who have more difficulty landing white collars. Some recent graduates from the University – including MBA graduates from prestigious universities – are also faced with challenges.
Leave a white necklace without a return ticket
Many older workers have declared that they have adopted that some income is better than nothing, even if the work does not align with long -term objectives.
Eric Nielsen, 50, worked for a large part of his career as an account and sales manager in financial institutions. He remembers rubbing his elbows with billionaires and making a lot of money, but after a layoff in 2023, he used side jostles.
“What is happening is that you are 50 years old, and you will be interviewed by someone who could have half your age, and he will not establish a link with you,” said Nielsen, who lives in Colorado. “I’m ready to go to work at McDonald’s or Burger King, which I was never ready to do when I was younger.”
Nielsen works for a non -profit organization and occupies other part -time concert positions, including Uber Eats and organizing wine festivals. He said he had sent dozens of unsuccessful requests, many of whom were for roles with hundreds of candidates.
He said he was on the verge of homeless. Last year, he won about $ 27,000. He said that he had about $ 60,000 in student loan debt from his master’s degree, which some people told him to remove his curriculum vitae so as not to appear overqualified.
“I’m just trying to hang on to see if I can get this job offer,” said Nielsen. “I realize that I will not win a million dollars, but I may be getting this window from $ 65,000 to $ 80,000.”
While the Americans work later in their lives, many occupy jobs in blue collar – some of which include risks. In 2024, around 18% of workers in agriculture and hunting roles were 65 years or over, compared to almost 8% in retail, 6% in manufacturing and more than 5% in transport and construction, according to BLS data. Dozens told BI last year that they had worked on concert jobs like Uber Driving, echoing by 2023 AARP statistics that have revealed that 27% of elderly workers are working on work or independent work.
Blue collar work is difficult to find too
Certainly, some older workers who applied for blue collar roles have said that they are often difficult to obtain.
While some blue -collar professions have experienced shortages of workers, many industries need specialized diplomas or certifications that often take months or years. Given the time commitment, some older Americans who worked in white passes said they had not taken the trouble to become certified in industries such as trucking or plumbing.
David Fischer, 54, held marketing positions in the Bay region and in Portland, Oregon, before a layoff last May, adding that he had never received a negative criticism in his career. He had trouble finding a comparable white collar work since, despite the sending of more than a dozen requests per day. Although he said he had saved enough to retire technically, he said he was too early to call him.
He applied for blue collar jobs such as bus driving or the operation of a light rail train, but he said he had been rejected because the posts wanted more experienced people. He spent a large part of his time attending networking events and interviewing workshops to return to an office, although he recognizes that the industry market is saturated.
“I don’t consider myself old; I know what my age number is, but I can hold on with anyone,” said Fischer.
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