Being over 50 and made redundant due to health reasons and now on a Disability Support Pension.I would love to return to the workforce but its very hard to find employers who will employ me.The employers only want young,full trained and experienced people or they go to the Australian government a say they want more migrants because they cannot find staff.Why cannot the employers be made to train or Aussies before allowing more migrant's.
Just need to vent.

It must be frustrating for you, especially as you seem keen to work. Also it depends on your situation in life as to how well you manage on the DSP, but look on the bright side. From a very recent date (can't be bothered looking it up right now) anyone in your position who suddenly finds themselves out of work even if they have some sort of disability, no longer get the DSP. They're put on the lesser paying "sickness benefits" which is roughly equivalent to Newstart. Makes it pretty hard for those people to exist if they're paying rent.

Also, if you go off the DSP for a certain length of time, you'll find yourself deemed "able to work" and won't be able to get back on it, so be very careful as to which jobs you apply for. The current system gives no incentive for anybody to go off the DSP. They might just loose that extra income the DSP provides thereby making their lives untenable

Sorry 50starting again, I am a bit further long than you 65.
And as an ex union official not yet finished my first year in retirement.
Sorry because haveing been a retread due to bad health you are branded now.
Just as some with injury's can no longer get a job insurance stops you dead.
Not the end however, my free time has bought me in contact with dozens of starting again, in self employment.
Lawn mowing, good income there gardening, even better plant growing to sell at market days, but at the right price.
Hope to see more of you and that answers come too.

Courier Driver?

Not in Sydney of course you'd go insane.

I think of your type of situation when I hear about the government 'encouraging' people back to work. It's a bloody joke, it's the employers that need the 'encouragement' not the oldies.

It's bizarre when I haven't even reached the dreaded 40 but I can see that problem coming up not too far away for me too because of my aversion to management. I see management as glorified messenger boys and yes men, and would rather create something than join their ranks and wear suits and ties and have coffees and go to meetings.

I'm also not the type to let my life be taken over by my own small business as I do like to spend time with my kids. Risk the house and turn into a stressed overweight angry prick? No thanks!

I realy think employers see someone over 40 who has shown no 'ambition' to get into management (That's what ambition means; moving into management and using buzz words), and think why would I hire him at twice the price of some graduate or mid-20s employee.

Here's to hoping I can convince them when I get to that age I have super Guru qualities that are worth the money to them.

A toast! To arrogant creative types like me who have an 'attitude problem' and hope their talent gets 'em through in the end!

Older people do not want to go back to work, they can't afford to live on the pension.

It is all too common and if you are disabled it is even more difficult. What sort of skills do you have and how many hours are you able to work each week? Are you rural or city?

If you are more in the clerical job market, many government departments now aspire to quotas for disability - maybe start the process of applying for base positions or higher (I don't know your background). Just be prepared to put up with a few tossers though but it might get you back on your feet and something on your CV.

There are a few agencies (yes the dreaded agency treadmill) who specialise in placing disabled people. I also believe you can easily access Centrelink Social Services for assistance in finding work or at least they will know who to contact. Do you have a case manager that can assist?

I don't think 50 is old at all!

It depends on what sort of disability you have, but I know many quite disabled older people who are working.

I'm a great believer in the old markets that many towns and cities have on weekends and public holidays, as great places to sell goods or services that can at least supplement a disability pension, if not take over from it.

We have an older guy in our city centre (a quadriplegic) who sings in the malls most days. He always seems to have plenty of money in his hat!

I realise not everyone has his singing talent, but my point is not to give up!

my point is not to give up!
suzeonline,
I wonder if you'd still think that way after you've had 3 major robberies & no authority shows any inclination to help you. Or when your State Government with the stroke of a pen wrecks all your plans for your retirement & even forces you to resign & up & move at close to retirement because Public Service housing has driven local housing way beyond reach for a normal worker to afford.

Suzeonline:>> We have an older guy in our city centre (a quadriplegic) who sings in the malls most days. He always seems to have plenty of money in his hat!
I realise not everyone has his singing talent, but my point is not to give up!<<

Suze I realize your comment was meant as to be positive reinforcement for our mate 50startingagain, but my dear it is simply patronizing and displays a total lack of empathy re the effect on personal esteem and an individuals assumptions of their worth to those reliant on them and the society as a whole.

The solution you suggest will see DSP recipients become one armed jugglers, ageing warblers, or wheelchair bound galargaphone impresario vying for our pocket change at every public venue. Let them eat cake comes to mind.

The issue is one of perception; traditionally a cross culture comparison between the East and West finds the seniors in the East as revered figures both within the family unit and broader society, useful to the society as a whole to the very end. Be they captains of industry or train guards just the fact that they have survived and experienced life gives them a station above those who have experienced less.

TBC

When I entered the workforce a junior clerk was 30, a senior clerk was 40 and the manager was 60. Today the manager is 30 the senior clerk has gone via technology and the head clerk is 21, the term junior has expired with “trainee” being the new descriptive for bottom of the pile.

I am not suggesting that our young are not capable but some of the largest corporate bungles in modern history would not have occurred if management was more seasoned and the longer term outcomes of their decisions canvassed, but you cannot canvass what is not in your experience or in the experience of those advising you. A look at the average age of our politicians over the past 60 years is an example in point, IMO the younger the mean age of the parliament, the poorer the governance. We have the youngest parliament in our history and indisputably the worst. Formal education alone is worthless when a situation requires the finesse of a holistic view or understanding; the longer we are around the more competent we are regarding judgment on outcomes.

We have government funded campaigns to protect everything, except the validity of the worth of life experience. 50starting again, I know the struggle, the mental anguish and uncertainty of future that you and so many other baby boomer Aussies face, but the game has moved on, and the X’s and Y’s today, like we when we were their age do not understand the value of tenure, but the difference is that when we were young the decision makers were old not young, so experience carried a value.

The most recent generation of adults, having grown up through the Great Recession, are mostly worried over the time of their retirement at which point they haven’t saved enough to be able to spend a decent life at their old age and rather have to cling to whatever menial work they can still find to support themselves. Millennials, Generation Y, 20-somethings, call them what you will, are found to be generally pessimistic about their future security and are less confident of finding a way to prepare for their old age.

Many adults nowadays are worried about their old age, but I don’t think age matters when it comes to office work that make use of computers. Aging is not an excuse to stop learning new things and develop some skills for things that you’re interested in, which in turn can help you have some income while you’re having fun. There are also several works that are home-based in case there are difficulty on the part of the person to go out and head for work, I’m sure there are few of those projects for old people in the community. It helps to do a little research and look-around to find something rewarding to do. Best of luck!

[Deleted for abuse.]

they haven’t saved enough to be able to spend a decent life at their old age
GarrettS,
Have you any inkling how many people fall into this category through fault of their own ? Like, when authorities just load ordinary people with so many fees that it becomes literally physically impossible to to put anything aside. Then there are those who don't put anything aside because they know that idiotic authorities will simply turn around & fleece the decent people more to give to the bludgers.
The public service is a blatant example. Their contributions are outrageously petty in comparison to what they receive. Look at all our ex PM's & how much their benefits deprive others of much needed financial help.
Yes, many workers don't contribute because they can't afford to. Incompetent bureaucratic policies force many to keep moving around chasing work at their own expense whilst school teachers for example don't even have to pack their own belongings when moving to another job. A rather uneven playing field I'd say.

This issue should be debated more widely; I believe it's a huge issue for Australia with our aging poplulation but also a large number of disenfranchised young people

Government doesn't seem to look any further than employment agencies providing full-time highly paid slaves for the tasks demanded by industry. Its still the mentality of us being slaves to the system, which becomes increasingly more managed and less sustainable - a lot of high paid specialists with heavy footprints on the Earth (I've been one of them).

I totally agree with you Houle... about managers and over management.

With all the technology we have, we should put it towards sustainable living - not creating excess wealth (and stress) for some while leaving the rest for the scrap heap.

Many in my generation (baby boomers) have paid off the house and kids and are only looking for a 1-3 days per week paid work. Many are 'multi-skilled' and quite like doing odd-jobs. Many young people also want this - to live simply and cheaply and fit in work with study. They are willing, indeed want casual/ 'off mainstream' work and many are willing to accept modest hourly rates. Are Government agencies not able to foster this sort of job network? When will we start to see an economy geared to people instead of ever increasing production and consumption? It's something we all need to think about as those fully employed and on big money may not always be.

It's most important for any society and the mental health of individuals that everyone has something to do that is given some value. We don't all have to be rocket scientists that cost the Earth.

Hey 50startingagain, I know exactly where you're coming from, having suffered a disability myself.
Sadly, in spite of enumerable retraining courses, having been self employed for most of my life means I have as many work references as a school leaver.
Who wants an over 50 with qualifications but no experience (in a new field)?
Meanwhile my little online business (nakedhydroponics.com) is growing nicely. I anticipate being able to retire well before I reach 90, at this rate.

I am almost 67, retired at 63, and love doing what I want to do, rather than what I have to do. I have worked since I was 15, and when kids came along, I managed evening jobs whilst my beloved was at home minding the kids until they were well into their senior schooling. I reckon I have done my fair share, we are debt free, we volunteer around town (mainly marine safety), and love every minute of it, we have enough put aside for replacement of white goods, cars etc.and better still we are well and healthy.....yeah!.
NSB

I don't see a problem with it. In fact, it could be helpful. The current system of retirement was set up when people had shorter life expectancies, and now that people live longer, it's a strain on public pension funds. Our generation may not have anything left at all. So I say, if you're elderly and can and want to work, go do it.