Last Friday commentary from Printlink, “the leading source for human capital for the printing industry in the US & Canada”, was posted to the WhatTheyThink.com. Printlink’s contention is that graphic arts companies can do “more with more” by hiring older employees. The commentary is riddled with stereotypes offering little more than justification for using the recruiting services of Printlink – smart marketing considering the age demographics in print. This singular point of view is clearly expressed by the following statement: “Attitude, for one thing, is a key distinction between workers nearing
retirement and those in the early stages of their career: older
workers fundamentally live to work, while younger workers work to live.” There are a multitude of motivational factors as to why any of us work beyond monetary necessity including pride, self worth, altruism, camaraderie, and the thrill of a challenge.
Although a small statistic sampling, the one point rooted in more than opinion, is the Pew Institute report which indicated the labor pool will expand in the 55+ age group while the youngest age bracket stumbles. The key is in the interpretation of the data. The normal attrition of the workforce due to retirement enables the younger generations to ascend to higher level jobs. Without this natural progression the market faces downward pressure. Not surprisingly, many
older employees have been forced to extend their working years or postpone
retirement altogether since their retirement plans have been bludgeoned over the past 18+ months. The statics support this argument and the government also sees this as a likely reason the workforce is aging.
If you are in the rare position of adding talent for your business, there will be a large applicant pool to select from according to the latest unemployment data. There will be applicants in every demographic category imaginable, beyond just age, for evaluation. Why shouldn’t you just pick the best employee for the job?
