Older workers prove a boon for businesses
by Cape Business staffAt Snow’s Home and Garden in Orleans, you’re likely to be served by employees who have backgrounds as engineers, scientists and judges. Now, past age 55, they’re combining work with semi-retirement on Cape Cod.
It is a formula that David Augustinho believes will become a huge trend on the Cape as more and more baby boomers move here in the next decade. Augustinho is executive director of the Cape & Islands Workforce Investment Board, and he recently commissioned an entire marketing campaign around the concept of 55+ to encourage employers to consider older workers for jobs once filled by younger ones.
Augustinho considers employees past age 55 as a critical resource, in fact. Over the last five years, the Cape has seen a significant decline in residents between ages 25 and 40, in large part because the high price of housing makes it difficult for them to buy homes and raise children here.
Meanwhile, the number of baby boomers on Cape Cod is increasing dramatically.
For many of them, the prospect of a traditional retirement is unappealing, yet the thought of starting or buying a new business maybe too daunting, Augustinho said. But working in a pleasing environment, one that leverages previous professional knowledge in a flexible way that accommodates family and other interests, is an increasingly popular strategy.
At one year-round resort on the Cape, two baby boomers, each with a hobbyist’s love for gardening, are sharing a full-time job maintaining the facility’s gardens.
Across the nation, in fact, leading-edge companies are mobilizing to attract employees 55-plus. One in three companies are implementing flexible schedules, just like local companies such as Orleans Auto Supply have done – where half a dozen of its drivers are 70 years or older and more than half its entire staff are 60 years of age or older.
Augustinho, noting an AARP study, said that employees 55-plus possess all but one of the top seven qualities that companies consider most desirable in any employee. They are: commitment to doing quality work; getting along with coworkers; compiling a solid performance record; possessing strong skills in communication and math; being reliable in a crisis; and displaying loyalty and dedication to the company.
In an effort to and connect this demographic with the business community, Augustinho noted that the Cape & Island WIB has established a job matching service for employers through Career Opportunities. “Businesses can contact Lynda Costa at (508) 862-6132 to access the 55+ individuals that we have ready to fill their positions,” Augustinho said. “Currently, we have an inventory of more than 30 workers who can be matched with available job openings here on the Cape.”
In addition, the Cape & Islands WIB, with the assistance of Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank, has recently published “A Practical Guide for Employers: How to Attract and Keep 55+ Workers.” Employers can contact the WIB to obtain a copy.
While some Cape Codders in the 55-plus category need the income, the vast majority see it as a way to supplement their incomes and get involved in the Cape’s increasingly vital economy.
To learn more about 55-plus opportunities, contact:
David Augustinho, Executive Director
Cape & Islands Investment Board, 480 Barnstable Road, Hyannis, MA 02601
Published in Cape Business November/December 2007
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