Career Services

The Best Jobs for People Over 50 by Magdalene Chan, Thomas Yoseloff Business Center at SNFLApril 10, 2012

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, people in the 55-years-and-older age group account for 19.5 percent in the labor force in 2010 and are projected to be 25.2 percent in 2020.

This age group’s contributions to the work force are substantial, some of them serving at helms of chief political, economic, education andMrs. Tim gets a Job, by D. E. Stevenson., Digital ID 490245, New York Public Library military institutions. The experience of people over 50 provides a valuable asset to the U.S. workforce and their accomplishments are commendable.

Some people over 50 may transition into a full or part time consulting position in their industry while some may transition into occupations where they can use their skills and experience in related industries. CNNMoney presents 20 Best Jobs If You're Over 50 (2011) and these top 20 jobs score high for flexibility and social meaning, enjoy relatively low stress, and none require advanced degrees, as stated in Money Magazine.

Other 50+  Americans may seek employment in the non-profit sector and some may work for employers who are interested in having the experience, expertise and judgement of 50+ Americans. AARP has developed The Best Employers for Workers over 50 (2011).

Some may choose to make a difference by volunteering in libraries, museums, parks, schools, churches, zoos, hospitals, social agencies and international relief organizations such as American Red Cross, United Nations Volunteers, Peace Corps and Citizens Development Corps.

As an alternative to seeking employment, some 50+ Americans may make a career change and turn to entrepreneurship. According to the Small Business Administration, more than five million Americans age 55 or older run their own businesses and the number of entrepreneurs ages 55 to 64 is soaring.

Job Search Central at SIBL provides information to all populations on all aspects of career development. The following is job search information for people over 50.

Job Search Central has a collection of books on different aspects of career development, the following are books on career development for people over 50.

The Science, Industry and Business Library is a premier public business library with comprehensive print materials, e-resources, and services for start-ups and established businesses seeking expansion.

SIBL’s NYC Small Business Resource Center, smallbiz.nypl.org links business owners to Small Business Events and Training Calendar NYC and Services Directory — Help for your Business.

If you are interested in starting a small business, SCORE counselors can assist you on a one-on-one basis in preparing a business plan, applying for a business loan and more.

SIBL also provides database classes and programs for starting a small business. All these are free to the public on a first come first seated basis.

Please note that The New York Public Library and Coming of Age NYC will present a program, Effective Employment Strategies for Those 50+, on Wednesday, April 18, 2012, 4:00pm-6:00pm at Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, South Court Auditorium. A panel of experts, including Renee Lee Rosenberg and Win Sheffield, will share essential information for job seekers.

View all posts by Magdalene Chan

Comments

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I thought "seniors" were

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on April 10, 2012 - 12:49pm

I thought "seniors" were those people who are age 65 and over.

Thanks for the information.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on April 13, 2012 - 11:47am

Thanks for the information.

I know I am beating a dead

Submitted by Pigbitinmad (not verified) on August 30, 2018 - 5:36pm

I know I am beating a dead horse here but I will not stop pointing out the hypocrisy of this article. Maximum age to get hired at the NYPL seems to be 35 years of age. I have applied for many jobs for which I met all of the qualifications and everytime, it goes to a "newbie" who was just out of library school. This is no way to run an organization. I am not saying recent grads should not be hired, but this whole idea that they are the ONLY people who can "relate" to the customers is complete BS. I have complained many times to the City (and I have also recieved condescending emails from other agencies like the Parks Department telling me nobody was qualified to do the job they were looking to fill when I was clearly qualified to do the job). And now we have the corporate PR machine telling everyone that there is a shortage of workers and that we need more -- younger -- people to move here from other countries because the Baby Boomers are retiring. Well, I am a baby boomer and I have at least 20 years of work left before I reach my full retirement age (and possibly 35 more, if I am anything like my Grandfather who was born in 1867 and worked for the street car company of Chicago until 1962!!! Yes, he retired in his 90's!!!) If employers realyy couldn't find anyone, I would be in a job in ten seconds. When my grandfather was in his 40's he had to transition from driving a team of horse-drawn streetcars to motorized cars. The stupid hiring managers today would have fired him because they thought he was too old and stupid to learn the new "technology." So when people ask, "What have Millennials done for us?" The answer is tanking the economy by convincing everyone that you are too old and stupid at age 40 to learn anything and having to put everyone over 40 on welfare when they could easily work.

Bravo for stating the

Submitted by anonymous (not verified) on July 22, 2019 - 8:20pm

Bravo for stating the situation so well. What a disgrace. (however I do work for NYPL and was hired in my 40's. I hope things haven't changed that much since I started).

JOBs

Submitted by Robert Ishmael (not verified) on September 23, 2019 - 2:33pm

I think the person who wrote that is right they need to revamp the system if you work in job for 20- 30 years and your health is great why not hire that person at another job if he is still healthy enough to work another job. some young people are in their 20's and 30's on dialysis and have major health issue. Age is a state of mind if you feel old your old if you feel young and still can do the thing that your where doing in your 20 and 30's then give people a chance just like their fighting like crazy with this gender thing fight and change the age on the job like police office, fire fighter, why do you need to be younger than 35. Border police I WOULDN'T MIND DOING THAT NOW a lot of these jobs that discrimination hire people if their willing to work a lot of people have been in job most of their life and they need a fair chance now their in their 40's 50's 60's and you won't hire them that not me i never been to jail but a lot of the older guy when they come out of jail their looking way younger an usually in better shape then even the one 20 years younger less. But their 2 side of that because when I left the city job I had for over 20 years and I was in the back to work program and in the FEDCAP PROGRAM most of the guys had did a lots of time some had homicidal charges more than one case and I had 2 degrees and it was like I had a better chance to get a job if I was just coming home from the (big house) meaning jail that messed my up and I was really disenfranchised. SO there job out their but make it easy for people and I am a baby boomer and I not retiring no time soon unless I hit the lotto .Please give us a break and don't count the middle age workers out especially if he still is able to work. My father is 84 years old and he still works the polls and works a part-time, he have a girl friend 25 years younger then him. We got into a big argument when I told him i was suppose to retire 3 years OK, he said your always going to work I said dad your right I was talking about my city job I said for me it might come a time when i may not want to work for anyone, yes your always going to need to stay busy to some form even if its working on your apartment or your house or doing some type of volunteer work I got that but the bottom line give more option for a middle age person, if the gender thing is a big discrimination issue the pushing people out of the workforce before their time should a discriminating issue also.

I want to say Pigbitinmad,

Submitted by Sarah (not verified) on March 28, 2020 - 12:40pm

I want to say Pigbitinmad, Well Said!

Employment for those over 50 years old.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on April 10, 2012 - 5:22pm

The comments about people over 50 are certainly accurate. Most have worked all their lives and have a vast array of skills. Be that as it may, I have not yet noticed any corporation who are eager to hire people over the age of 50. This is because older people cost more in medical insurance, and other benefits. Also, younger workers feel that their positions are threatened by the fact that older workers are so knowledgable. In order to assure that the percentage of older workers in the future is 25%, some major changes would have to take place. In the past, some races were not getting enough work, so Affirmative Action laws were created to fill the discrepancy. Probably a program similar to that would have to take place before a fair number of older people are being hired. In the past few years corporations are trying to get older people to retire early, because they can get younger workers for much less salaries. All of those matters factor into what the future of older workers is going to be. As I mentioned before, most older workers have great skills. Great skills count only if corporations are willing to hire those who are older. It is probably better for older workers to start their own companies. Regarding senior citizens being 50 and older, it gets confusing because people who are 50 or close to it in age are "not considered senior citizens" in as much as they have to wait until age 62 before they can retire. The questions that concerns most people aged 50 to 62 is this, "If most companies have a secret policy of not hiring those 50 and over, what can those people do in order to survive?" Those who are savvy and entrepreneural do start their own businesses.

I know whatcha mean. In the

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on June 5, 2013 - 3:52pm

I know whatcha mean. In the "dark ages" 50 year olds were not considered Senior Citizens. I now have a part time job, but when that disappears, I feel I will be "retired" and I am only 51. It is stupid to think that 43% of the population will just open businesses. And the NYPL discriminates along with everyone else (I can't even get so much as an interview with them and I have all the qualifications on paper including an MLS and five years of acquisitions experience using Millennium - their ILS system). So it's a bit hypocritical for them to be pushing these AARP job sites. These cites are absolutely useless and are filled with those bogus employment agency ads for places like CVS. There are no real jobs there.

Difficulty to find a job at 50 and over

Submitted by Marly (not verified) on August 9, 2014 - 9:43am

I totally agree with Anonymous, it is very difficult to get a job at 50 years old and over these days. The main reason is the greed of Corporate America . They figure out that an individual of 50 and up, may cause them to spend too much money on health insurance. We do not deny that older citizen tend to develop certain chronic illnesses such as blood pressure, diabetes and so on. I am currently 59 years and I am not eligible to social security yet and I am unemployed with no fault of my own because I have been laid off three years ago. I have been sending my resume everywhere, but no one wants to hire me. I am in the dark age- black out age. Please can somebody explain the situation of the people over 50 to the congress so this " Do nothing Congress" could do something about it.

And the New York Public

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on June 5, 2013 - 3:46pm

And the New York Public Library tops the list. They refuse to consider me for work even though I am an expert at their ILS system (Millennium) and have years of experience in Technical Services. I cannot even get an interview and I have applied repeatedly.

NYC JOBS

Submitted by CAROLYN (not verified) on March 14, 2016 - 11:08am

NYC Jobs - The Mayor states that if you feel that you are being discriminated against (because of your age or your long-term unemployment status) to make a complaint. The City is doing exactly this. I have applied for many jobs that I am over-qualified for. Full-time and Part-time jobs that requires NO EXPERIENCE and I am never called. If age is not an issue why do they ask you for your age? So that speaks for itself. They don't even give you a chance. I have never been sick in my life. I am very active - physically, mentally and emotionally. I walk about 10 miles a day minimum, and I look much younger than my age. I want to be a productive part of society as anyone else. Those folks who are executing these practices will one day revisit it with themselves and know how it feels to deny one a job because of their age. May god have mercy on them.