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When I was laid off several months ago my initial thought was, "it's no big deal." After all, it wasn't the first time I had been in the position of looking for a new job. I had done it before and it had never been difficult to settle into a new position. There was no reason to expect this time would any different.
The morning after receiving my pink slip, I read the local paper and headed out the door, fully expecting to have viable employment by that evening. Filling out several applications, I was somewhat puzzled as to why no one wanted to speak to me in person. With 30 years' experience in my field, and being in good health, I had always been considered a good catch. My work history held no indication of trouble on the job, and my work habits had always been strong. Finally, I chalked it up as just a bad outing, confident the next day would produce some interest in my abilities.
Day after day went by without positive results. After a time I began discovering some employers where I had applied had hired young inexperienced employees. It seemed my age had caught up with me. Even more time went by before I realized the economy was the culprit. Employers were opting for less skilled workers that required lower wages. Employers, it seemed, were willing to train the younger applicants in order to save hourly output.
Concerned that weeks had gone by without so much as a call back, I decided to do a little research to see if anyone else in their mid-50s had been experiencing the same difficulty. The results confirmed my suspicions, and the construction field proved to be one of the major culprits in older worker rejection.
From a business point of view, I can understand the reasons construction companies pass over the wisdom of the aging for the vigor of youth. A production-oriented environment demands a high degree of physical activity and exposure to the elements. Contractors are paid by accomplishment, not time on the job and older workers tend to tire more easily and are susceptible to health issues.
This explains the rising unemployment rate among the, almost-over-the hill-gang in the trades, but it does not excuse it. As a long time contractor, I valued older tradesmen that worked for my business. Not only had they earned through years of hard labor the right to finish out their career; they had knowledge that unless shared with apprentices would be lost to the ages. It is detrimental to the industry to discard these finer aspects of the trade.
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