According to common sense, young and wealthy workers are the most promising for business and their most dynamic component. In fact, in times of crisis, we tend to think that older workers are the most vulnerable and subject to layoffs and downsizing. However, this image does not seem to match the reality of companies, at least American ones, that prefer experienced older employees, seeing them as clearly more hardworking and much more dedicated to their work, without the distractions of youth.

In recent months workers over 55 they are in high demand by companies. The reason for this paradox is that at this age people are especially dynamic professionally, as shown by the corresponding study of the newspaper. Wall Street Journal and his NORC institute about American values. A related US newspaper publication citing the results of the survey in question states that 75% of respondents aged 65 and over consider hard work very important to them. However, the percentage is clearly lower, namely 61%, when the same question is asked to young people between the ages of 18 and 29.

People aged 55 and over are currently the fastest growing segment of the US workforce, according to the survey results. Demographic change may provide a reasonable explanation for this trend, as people today are living longer and having fewer children. In addition, some retirees have no choice but to work to make ends meet due to increased inflation.

They are considered to be more industrious and much more dedicated to their work without being distracted by their youth.

However, some businesses are looking to hire older people on the basis that their years are an important asset as they bring experience and insight. “It makes a lot of sense to hire experienced workers because they are a guarantee of stability,” says Heather Tinsley-Fix, Senior Employer Rights Adviser for the American Federation of Retirees (AARP). KinderCare Learning Cents Inc., which operates more than 1,500 childcare facilities, signed a contract last August to boost hiring. The reason was that the childcare sector was one of the sectors that faced a severe shortage of workers after the pandemic. So he turned to workers over 50 to be surprised by the success of the project.

“In less than a year, KinderCare found that this move paid off,” notes Travis Trotman, the company’s director of talent acquisition. “This age group is ready to work the morning shift or work as long as necessary,” adds Trotman.

“In 2021, the global human resources company ManpowerGroup Inc. launched a Mature Worker Recruitment Program in response to its clients’ concerns about labor shortages,” says Corel McDowell. As always mentioned in the related article in the American newspaper, the 69-year-old American, although retired, returned to the company where she worked and led the initiative to hire “mature workers”.