OVER 40 RECRUITMENT

Topics of interest for the mature age candidate

2010-01-11T12:05:00.000+10:30

Tips from the experts for "mature age" job hunters

2010-01-06T16:01:00.000+10:30

Tips from the experts for "mature age" job hunters

Reproduced from an article by: Kate Southam that appeared on the Careerone website

CareerOne asked the experts to provide their top tips. Our panel includes Catriona Byrne, Ian Blair, Stephen Moir and Paul Dickinson.

Catriona Byrne is a director of mature-age recruitment service Adage. Based in Adelaide, Catriona also speaks at employer and career events and consults to employers all over Australia on how to best manage their older employers. Adage is headquartered in Sydney.

Ian Blair is a successful mature-age candidate. At 69 he recently scored a quality role as a senior consultant with Melbourne-based software Prima Consulting.

Stephen Moir of the Sydney-based Moir Group specialises in executive recruitment and training. However, he is "passionate" about the value of mature-age candidates and offers a training course for candidates through the Centre for Continuing Education at Sydney University.

Paul Dickinson is the director of Plus 40, a national employment and training organisation designed to provide assistance to Australian's aged 40 and over.

Resume tips

"A good resume highlights strengths without drawing attention to age perceptions," says Stephen. "The key here is getting the strengths up front on page one and with definite achievements, ideally with a bottom line impact."
Catriona has three main tips:
· Don't include Date of Birth or education dates on your resume.
· Only detail the past 10-15 years of employment history.
· Don't include your middle name; it's an old fashioned giveaway!

Ian provided very detailed tips (refer to article titled "Star Maw Shares Sucess Tips" that can be accessed through the above titled article on the Careerone website to read his advice).

Job interviews

Stephen says candidates should familiarise themselves with the "behavioural interview" style most often used in today's job interviews. This is where candidates are required to use specific examples from their past to demonstrate how they would handle a situation or task in the future if selected to fill the job.
He says it's important that candidates refer to the strengths and achievements outlined in their resume during job interviews remembering to tie these strengths to business outcomes.
"This is very impactful and most people don't do it," says Stephen. He urged candidates to link their skills and experience to an expected outcome - "make it tangible" - such as increased sales or levels of customer service or efficiency gains.
"Also, have answers up your sleeve to handle any age perception issues and in some cases actually bring up your age - for example 'I think my age is an advantage because it means I have x, y z experience and I bring x or y to a team,'" Stephen explains.
Paul offers the following advice for interviewees: "In interview, concentrate on selling your skills and suitability to the role. Talk about what you have done in the past and how you can easily transfer your skills to the new role.
"In other words, use your experience as a positive."Paul adds: "Remember that an interview is a sales process and you need to 'ask for the order'. Remember to tell the interviewer that you want the job and that their company is just the sort of organisation that you would like to work for. Employers like to hear that you really want to work for them."

Attitude review

CareerOne.com.au Editor Kate Southam says it is natural to want to find something or someone to blame when a candidate is not successful on the job trail.
"I hear from people who blame gender, their post code, being a parent, a disability, the birthplace and yes, their age," says Kate.
"They could be right. The sad fact of life is that some people are ignorant and prejudice. However, that might not be the reason at all and it doesn't help to decide that you will never get anywhere due to age."
Catriona urges those candidates with application fatigue to try and suspend their thoughts about being marginalised due to age.
"I tell people: 'what can you do differently?' While the problem may well be age you cannot change your age but you can change your resume or your attitude or your approach."
Paul believes that staying positive is the key to success for the Mature Age jobseeker. He advises: "Keep trying and don't give up. Remember the words of former Australian of the year, farmer Sarah Henderson. 'All the strength you need to achieve anything is inside you. Don't wait for the light to appear at the end of the tunnel, stride down there and light the bloody thing yourself'."

Action plan

Stephen recommends developing an action plan and sticking to it. This will keep momentum behind the job search and keep it on track and a feeling that things are happening.
Items for the action plan could include reading up on the latest business ideas and techniques. Stephen recommends The Long Tail by Chris Anderson, which is all about niche businesses.
Ian agrees. "Keep your skills up-to-date. I read voraciously - a book a week - business, science and military history - [Lieutenant-General Sir John] Monash, [Brigadier Arnold] Potts and Genghis Khan. They were all fantastic managers, operating in life-and-death situations and they were successful. It's good training for business life!"
"Keep physically fit. I've rowed for 50 years and run for 50, including four marathons."
"Life is more demanding and sedentary now. If you don't keep fit at home, you won't keep fit at work and you'll drift off into oblivion.
"Exercise does two things: it combats depression and builds energy levels. You need that when you get knocked back on the job-hunt," says Ian.
Looking for networking opportunities, getting in touch with former professional contacts or colleagues to let them know you are looking and what you are looking for. Checking websites and newspapers or talking to recruiters.
Review your basic skills to see if anything needs updating - it's never too late to learn to type and many of the basic computer software courses can be completed online such as accounting and admin software skills including using email and the Internet.
Ask your kids or grand children to explain how "social networking" websites work like MySpace, Facebook and You Tube.

Networking effectively

Stephen says most MAWs are not used to networking or "putting themselves out there".
"This is the key to the current market place at all levels but particularly so for MAW's who are often not that used to, or comfortable with, promoting themselves," Stephen says.
"Social situations, friends, networking events, various professional bodies, school events - the list of possibilities is never ending. Generally people are happy to help if they are asked, so it's all about getting out there and asking people for help."
By Kate Southam, Editor of careerone.com.au

Resume tips - From MSN - Well worth reading

2007-08-08T15:14:00.001+09:30

Look at your résumé: Would you still be compelled to read it if it wasn’t your own, or would the vast array of typos, unusual fonts, long sentences and obscure language turn you away? While your résumé may not be a full-on Monet (meaning, up close, it’s a big old mess), it may simply need some minor tweaking in order to get noticed. Take these five small steps to see big results.

1. Spell check… the old-fashioned way.
Spelling and grammar errors can be the kiss of death for résumés: They show employers that you don’t pay attention to detail. Computer spell-check programs don’t always pick up these errors, so make sure you proofread it yourself before handing it in. For insurance and a fresh perspective, have a friend look it over, too.

2. Put it in reverse chronological order.
Organize your résumé to reflect your most recent job at the top and include dates of employment. Employers tend to prefer these over functional résumés, which can be great if you’re switching career paths, but otherwise make it difficult to determine when you worked where and can hide employment gaps.

3. Simplify your language.
Keep your sentences short and don't worry about fragments.

Leave out personal pronouns like “I,” “my” and “me.” Saying, “I performed” this or “I demonstrated” that is redundant. Who else would you be talking about if not yourself?

Omit the articles “a,” “an” and “the.” Instead of “Coordinated the special events for the alumni association,” simplify it to say, “Coordinated alumni association special events.”

Take out terms like “assisted in,” “participated in,” and “helped with.” If you assisted in managing client accounts, simply say, “Managed client accounts.” You can explain later what this role entailed.

Change passive statements to active verbs. Saying “Coordinated client meetings” instead of “Ensured client meetings were coordinated” adds punch and clarity to a job description.

Exclude words like “responsibilities” and “duties” under job listings. Your résumé should focus on accomplishments, not tasks.

4. Eliminate clutter.
Format your résumé for consistency and easy reading.

Bold, italicize or underline important headlines (just don’t do all three at once – that’s overkill).

Create a bulleted list – not a paragraph formation – for job descriptions

Use a standard font like 11 point Times New Roman or Arial. Fancier fonts are not only harder to read, but they may become garbled in an e-mail format.

Combine series’ of short, odd jobs into one listing. (For example: “1999-2002 Barista – Village Café, Starbucks, Seattle’s Best…”)

5. Read it aloud.
Reading your résumé aloud will help you identify areas that need improvement or clarification. If something doesn’t sound right to you, it won’t sound right to a hiring manager.

Advantages of being OVER 40

2007-07-26T12:49:00.000+09:30

Over-40 Friendly Industries: Harnessing the Age Advantage in the Workforce
by Christina Couch

No longer a spring chicken? No problem. According to Gail Geary, author of Over-40 Job Search Guide, age, maturity, wisdom, and experience can work to your advantage in a job market dominated by less-seasoned twentysomethings. “An older worker brings an immediate return on investment to an employer,” Geary comments. “That’s something someone fresh out of college can’t do.”

With the baby-boomer generation approaching retirement, resulting in a shortage of approximately 10 million employees over the next decade, candidates with relevant work experience are becoming more in demand. That gives older employees more leverage to request bigger paychecks and to change jobs later in life, says Geary. She adds that fields such as health care, business-to-business services, education, and services for the elderly are practically custom-made for the older worker considering a job change.

To find out how to get into a challenging new career, check out these over-40 friendly industries.

Health care
Diverse, high-paying, and currently in the middle of an employment boom, health-care positions ranging from medical doctor to entry-level administrator are prime territory for qualified personnel of any age. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that between 2004 and 2014, the field will demand approximately 3.6 million jobs--more salaried positions than any other industry.

One of the reasons health care is attracting older employees, says Geary, is because the industry is both lucrative and flexible, offering full, part-time, seasonal, and freelance positions designed to fit any worker’s schedule. And for many health-care positions, such as lab technician, hygienist, therapy assistant, and medical-billing specialist, necessary schooling or certifications can be completed in two years or less. For students who would like to continue their education, a bigger degree translates to a bigger salary. Positions such as doctors, surgeons, nurses, and physical therapists involve more rigorous medical training via a longer educational commitment; however, students can expect a sizable return on their investment.

As the job market shifts from offering secure, lifelong positions to shorter-term, benefit-less jobs, Geary says that employees will be forced to adapt, forming a career out of several part-time or freelance positions instead of one steady full-time role.
“The prediction from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is that by 2010, 65 percent of us won’t be employees. We will be employed, but not employees,” Geary comments. “Companies want to be profitable and lean, so it’s important for older workers to be aware and to embrace the trend.” Because health care comprises so many types of jobs, and can accommodate a broad spectrum of work schedules, job changers in this field have their choice of where and when to work.

For Dr. Maurice Hodos, former chiropractor and current health-fund administrator for the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), it's the flexibility within the health-care industry that enables him to pursue all of his professional interests without getting pigeonholed into one career. Tired of dealing with the insurance end of medicine, Hodos enrolled in an online health- and welfare-plan certificate program through the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP) and began consulting for health insurance firms on the side. Eventually he transferred his skills to his current administration position at the age of 60.

“I had been involved in consulting for so many years, it made changing over to it full time a very smooth transition,” Hodos comments. “When I decided to close my practice, I was going into a world that was fairly well known and it wasn’t like breaking down doors at all.”

Consulting on the side made Hodos more marketable, supplementing his medical background with experience negotiating health contracts and leading to a new career with reduced working hours. In fields like consulting that value industry experience, older workers have a significant edge over their fresh-faced competitors.

Business-to-business services
Peripheral services such as accounting, telephone and Internet services, legal representation, and human resources are slowly being contracted out to business-to-business (B2B) companies. Rather than hire and make room for in-house staffers, many companies are opting to send this work to B2B agencies. On the Forbes annual "America’s Best Big Companies" list, 23 of the 400 firms profiled specialize in business services and supplies.

For information-technology (IT) worker Everett Irving, that means greater opportunities in the field of consulting and business strategy for those with experience. Switching from a systems-management position to an IT-consulting job at the age of 52, Irving says that age actually played to his advantage.

“Once you’ve been in something like systems management for a while, by default you become an expert,” he comments. “Thanks to the network I had established over the years, I was quickly able to hook up with [a B2B] company that put me in an IT-consulting role.”

Though the transition from industry insider to a consulting role varies from field to field, consulting-certificate programs in most areas can be completed in two years or less and oftentimes can be completed in an online format at your convenience.
Education
An easy transition is the reason many older job changers flock to the field of education, says Geary. Encompassing teaching, as well as research, administrative, and specialized education roles, the education sector is currently ranked as the fastest growing field, along with health care, according to the BLS. The National Education Association (NEA) reports that the United States is currently experiencing a massive teacher shortage with more than 2 million teaching positions needing to be filled in the next ten years.

Enter employees over the age of 40. Because turnover is high within education professions--one out of every five new teachers leaves the classroom within three years--workers entering the industry at a later age, even those without a teaching license, are highly in demand. To make the transfer one step easier, most states offer provisional or alternative licensing programs that allow newbies to step into the classroom while simultaneously pursuing their teaching certification. Designed to recruit workers from noneducational fields, alternative licensing programs provide wannabe teachers with paid positions for two to three years as they complete mentoring and in-class study to become a fully licensed teacher. According to the National Center for Education Information (NCEI), people who use alternative-licensing programs tend to be older and nearly half were working in a noneducation occupation prior to entering.

Companies such as IBM are also doing their part to stop the teacher shortage through embracing the trend of older workers dominating the classroom. Thanks to the company’s Transition to Teaching program, IBM grants early retirees who want to become full-time math or science teachers $15,000 in tuition reimbursement as well as a four-month leave of absence from their current job to complete a student-teaching practicum.
Services for an aging population
As the estimated 76 million baby boomers reach retirement age, they’re prompting the growth of innovative new firms specializing in health and care of the elderly.

“The baby boomers are much more affluent than previous generations,” writer Gail Geary comments. In addition to traditional health-care services, Geary says that the boomers are also interested in luxury services, including physical-fitness facilities, spa treatments, cosmetology services, and travel packages aimed at senior citizens. Older workers--those more likely to connect with and understand the needs of the generation ahead--can find positions in anything from personal training to guiding tours. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that between 2003 and 2030, the elderly population is expected to double, giving mature employees more opportunities to get out of their old jobs and into new careers.

When it comes to finding a new job later in life, Geary says that the key is to highlight your assets such as industry experience and networking skills, while keeping workplace trends including decreased employer loyalty and the needs of an aging population in mind.

“I’m optimistic for the future for older workers; there are many opportunities open to people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s if they’re open-minded,” Geary states. “They just have to be aware of approaching the right opportunities in the right industries

2007-07-10T13:44:00.001+09:30

The manager Lee Tavares in our reception

2007-07-10T12:41:00.001+09:30

2007-07-10T12:30:00.000+09:30

“Schlossberg divides baby boomers into six main types. Some people may fit into more than one category, and over time, people will likely shift from one type of boomer to another.

The Easy Glider takes each day as it comes. These are the boomers who just bought a condo near the beach, for example, and are happy to relax there with their spouse, take walks in the morning and cook dinners together. They enjoy every day and have no interest in going back to work. Easy gliders are usually financially secure and do not have to worry about long-term retirement costs.

The Adventurer makes daring changes with his or her life. They may have retired from one career, then gone back to school and started another career. The longtime teacher who becomes a massage therapist is a good example, or the accountant who earns a culinary arts degree and begins catering parties. Adventurers may be motivated by financial needs. If they have not saved enough for retirement, they need to figure out another source of income.Adventurers often love to travel. The grandma you hear about who went on a trip to India, or the senior who took a cross-country trip on his Harley-Davidson to go to the big motorcycle rally in Sturgis, S.D., are adventurers.

The Continuer continues to use existing skills, interests and activities but modifies them to fit retirement. The math professor who retires from the university but continues to tutor students in math, for example, or the realtor who sells her busy and demanding practice but continues to occasionally list houses for friends or relatives. A continuer could be someone who worked as a preschool teacher who now baby sits young children.

The Searcher tries out different careers or hobbies to find something that will bring him or her happiness. Perhaps they've started making pottery through a ceramics class, but then find themselves drawn to a class about writing mystery novels. Maybe they're taking up fishing again, or some other activity they haven't had time for in years.This searching also occurs on a spiritual level. Retreats involving prayer, meditation and a deepening of faith appeal to searchers, who are reflecting on what they have learned in their lives, and how they want to spend their remaining years. Most boomers will have a "searching" phase during or after retirement.

The Involved Spectator cares deeply about the world. They love their family members, feel connected to their faith and care about their community. However, because of illness or other circumstances, they are not as involved as they used to be. Someone who has been very involved in her church for many years, but now can only manage spending a few hours a week helping on Sunday mornings, is one example. Another is a grandfather who was always very involved with his grandchildren's lives, but who sees them less now because of his health concerns.

The Retreater is the only negative category of the six types, Schlossberg says. They are confused and upset about retirement. The change may have been traumatic for them. They miss their former coworkers and have not been able to make new friends. Instead, they have retreated to their home to watch TV, withdrawing from friends and family. Although a person might be in the "retreat" category for a while, he or she can also transition from this into a more positive stage and become a "searcher."

http://boomers.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=378155

2007-03-26T13:44:00.001+09:30

What Recruiters need to know about every candidate

There are 10 things a recruiter should know about any candidate before presenting them to a hiring manager, according to US recruitment expert, Howard Adamsky.

Adamsky says that getting to know the candidate and understanding what they are looking for is critical, but there is more that you should investigate during each interview.

The 10 things are:

Complete compensation details. Understand exactly how the candidate's current compensation package is structured. This means more than the candidate's base salary; the base salary is just part of the overall package. Be sure that you ask about bonuses; if, how and when they are paid, plus stock options or grants that have been awarded. Compile a complete list of benefits and how they are structured and know when the candidate is up for his or her next review, because this can alter cash compensation.
Type of commute. Commute is a quality-of-life issue and discussing it is important. A 10-minute commute against traffic is very different from taking the car to a train and having to walk five blocks to the new company. If the commute to your employer is worse for the candidate than it is in his or her existing job, bring it up and see how the candidate responds. If the commute is better, use it as a selling point. By all means, be sure that you understand the candidate's current commute and how they feel about the new one.
The "what they want versus what they have" differential. Most candidates do not change jobs just for the sake of changing jobs. They change jobs because there are certain things missing in their current position that they believe can be satisfied by the position your organisation is offering. This disparity is called the "position differential" and it is the fundamental reason a person changes jobs. Know what this position differential is and you will be able to know if you have what the candidate is looking for. If so, you will be able to develop an intelligent capture strategy when it comes time to close.
How they work best. Some candidates work best if left alone, while others work best as part of a team. It is your job to know enough about the employer's philosophy and the way the hiring manager works to see if the candidate will either mesh or grind. Beware of recommending hiring a candidate who does not fit into the current scheme, because, at times, style can be just as important as substance.
Overall strengths and weaknesses. Be sure to get some understanding of the candidate's strong points and the candidate's limitations. All of us have strengths and weaknesses. Our role is to identify them and be able to present them to the hiring manager. Hint: Ask what functions the candidate does not enjoy performing. We are seldom good at things we don't like.
What they want in a new position. Find out what the candidate wants in a new position. Feel free to pick away during the interviewing process with open-ended questions until you have all of your questions answered. It is difficult to determine whether a given hiring situation has a good chance of working out if you do not know what the candidate is looking for in a new position.
Is the candidate interviewing elsewhere? This is big; I don't like surprises and neither do hiring managers. I always ask the candidate what other options they are pursuing. If the candidate has three other companies they are considering and two offers are arriving in the mail tomorrow, this is absolute need-to-know information. If the hiring manager wants to make an offer, it's time to advise them as to what the competition looks like and move ahead quickly.
What it will take to close the deal. This is a first cousin of #6 above but it is more specific and flavoured with a "closing the deal" mentality. Point six relates to what the candidate wants in a new position, but this one quantifies that want. For example, if the candidate wants more money, this is where you will assess how much it will take to close the deal. As another example, while #6 will let you know that the candidate wants to work on different types of projects, this one will tell you exactly what types of projects those are.
Can the candidate do the job? Even though, as the recruiter, you might not be able to determine if this is the perfect candidate, you should exit the interview with an opinion as to whether or not the candidate can perform the functions of the position. Furthermore, that opinion must be based upon information that was unveiled during the interviewing process and not just a gut feeling. It has to be based upon what the candidate has successfully accomplished and how that aligns with the needs of the current position. If you can't offer a solid opinion on this one, you need to dig deeper until you have a solid case for why the candidate can or cannot do the job.
Will the candidate fit into the culture? Predicting the future is tricky business, but someone has to take a shot at evaluating a candidate's chance for success. Not everyone that is capable of doing the job will have a successful run at the company, because culture does play a role in candidate success. For example, the culture of a buttoned-down insurance company in Boston is very different from the garage culture of a software start-up in the valley. If you have a reason to believe that the person is the wrong DNA for an organisation, it is imperative that you raise the issue.

Retirement or keep working?

2006-11-19T17:28:00.000+10:30

Managers and professionals in their 50s who get downsized out of a job increasingly don't opt for early retirement. Many can't afford to stop working -- and even if they can, they often want the camaraderie and stimulation of a job.
But finding a new position means they must convince a prospective employer that they aren't too old to learn something new and have the energy to work as hard as employees in their 20s and 30s. Job candidates in their 50s also must convince the prospective employer that they are comfortable reporting to a younger boss -- and perhaps willing to earn less than in prior jobs.
Some hiring managers think older candidates may "just want to land someplace before they get the ideal job, are bored, or are going to try and take over," says Cathy Fyock, an employment strategist based in Crestwood, Ky. "They are discounting or not considering individuals at all because they're 'overqualified' without really thinking through legitimate reasons why this person could be a fabulous addition to their work teams."
According to a December 2005 retirement study from AARP, an advocacy group for older Americans, 68% of workers age 50 to 70 said they planned to work full time after the traditional retirement age. While the median retirement age in the 1990s was approximately 62, 75% of respondents in the survey expected to continue working until at least 65. Among the most popular reasons to continue working were the desire to stay mentally active, and the need for income and health benefits.
John Baackes, currently chief executive of Senior Whole Health, a health-care provider for the elderly based in Cambridge, Mass., left his former job as a senior vice president at a large insurance company last year. Though he was about to turn 59, retirement was the last thing on his mind. "I have children who are still in high school, so from a financial standpoint, it would have been impractical to retire," he says. "I also did not want to spend any more years doing something that I wasn't passionate about," he adds.
Susan Dennison, a construction director based in New York, lost her job in October when her position was eliminated; but at 60, Ms. Dennison says she isn't ready to retire, emotionally or financially. "I need to work. I've worked for many years, very diligently, and with all my heart and soul...and can't do it any differently," she says. "Could I not work and change my whole entire lifestyle? Yes -- but I like my lifestyle. I have a home in Manhattan, a house up in the Catskills; I'm very involved with theater and the arts. I just love all of that other side of being the tough construction lady." Ms. Dennison is still looking for a new post.
Finding the right place isn't always easy. One 54-year-old job searcher in New York, formerly a senior product manager at a bank, had to leave because his job was being relocated and he couldn't move. He believes his résumé is outstanding and that he performs well in interviews, and says he is in better physical shape today than he was 25 years ago. But he says he often can't get past the initial screening process.
"All screeners at companies are 26 years old, they look at your most recent job, flip to the bottom of page two and they say, 'Oh my God, this guy graduated from college before I was born,'" says the project manager, who has sent his résumé to almost 40 companies. He isn't certain that age discrimination is at play, but he says he has gotten many more interviews since removing references to his first job and his college graduation date from applications.
Kate Wendleton, president of the Five O'Clock Club, a career-counseling network, believes that when dealing with a younger interviewer, "you need to reassure them that at your age, you want to do the job you are applying for right now." She advises older applicants to "say, 'I've been through it all, I had people working for me, and I'm happy now."' She also advises 50-somethings to convey that they plan to stay on the job for a long time, and have a lot of energy.
Interviewers aren't allowed to inquire about when applicants plan to retire but "it's important to sense if they think that's a concern," Ms. Wendleton says. If you think it is, she adds, tell the interviewer you plan to work for the next 15 years.
The worst thing an older applicant can do is speak dismissively to a youthful-looking interviewer. Never talk "about the 'old days' " and "how we did it," says Ms. Wendleton, who also tells older applicants to update their wardrobes and not hesitate to color their hair.
Older job searchers also must avoid getting weeded out because of the high pay they received in prior jobs. The U.S. Department of Labor found in 2005 that the average annual earnings per worker peaked at $39,156 between the ages of 45 and 54, and then declined to $31,096 for workers 65 and older.
Edward Mills, a 68-year-old director of fund raising at Consumer Reports and a former computer-systems developer, says the people hiring for his current job told him right away that he would be out of their budget range. But Mr. Mills avoided discussing salary through the entire interview process, telling his prospective employers that the salary question would work itself out. Then, when he was finally offered the job, he negotiated his pay for the position.
In many cases, older candidates simply have to accept lower salaries. Mr. Baackes, who says he made between $200,000 and $300,000 at his former position, knew he would have to sacrifice his old salary if he left. He now makes only about two-thirds of his former salary, but says he's still happier in his current job.
Email your comments to cjeditor@dowjones.com.

"Economic Tsunami"

2006-11-19T17:15:00.001+10:30

Australia heading for 'economic tsunami'
October 19, 2006 - 10:25AMSource: ABC
An Australian think tank has called for new measures to deal with the economic effects of an ageing population.
Photo: Lateline
The head of an independent Australian think tank has called for policy changes to deal with what he describes as the "economic tsunami" of an ageing population.
He is warning that countries who fail to act, will be left behind.
The chairman of the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA), Ivan Deveson, is to deliver a speech to an international conference in Madrid.
He says Australia's population is ageing so rapidly that in 40 years there will be 7 million senior citizens compared to 2.5 million now.
He says with less people working, it will mean higher taxes and spending cuts in other areas.
Mr Deveson says studies show many people will outlive their savings.
He is calling for policy changes such as improved child care to boost population growth and more measures to raise retirement incomes.
He says they are needed to guard against what he has labelled the "economic tsunami" of an ageing population.

OVER 40 Recruitment

2006-11-17T16:13:00.000+10:30

OVER 40 Recruitment specialises in the recruitment and placement of mature age job seekers in the fields of Accounting, Information Technology, General and Life Insurance, Marketing, General Office Support and Medical Office Support.

OVER 40 Recruitment provides candidates for permanent, temporary and part-time assignments, at junior, middle and senior management level.

OVER 40 Recruitment extols the virtues of hiring mature age job seekers and encourages employers to give the mature age job seekers a fair go.

OVER 40 Recruitment seeks to establish strong professional relationships with employers who value the reliability and loyalty offered by mature age job seekers.

OVER 40 Recruitment prides itself in providing a personal touch and seeks to build strong relationships with both employers and job seekers.