Nationwide, nearly one-quarter of the labor workforce is age 55 or older. On Cape Cod, that number is higher, at 30 percent of the workforce. For over 10 years, more than 30,500 seniors have been employed on Cape Cod, says Laura H. Roskos, senior community services employment program director with Elder Services of Cape Cod and the Islands (ESCCI).
For the second time this fall, MassHire Cape and Islands Workforce Board and Career Center, in partnership with ESCCI, will give awards to workplaces that are senior friendly. The Age Forward Employer Award recognizes workplaces that value older workers and make the most of workers as they age.
Read more about this in The Cape Cod Chronicle.
Age Forward Employer Awards Winners Announced
The Age Forward Employer Awards – an initiative of MassHire Cape and Islands Workforce Board and Elder Services of Cape Cod & Islands will honor employers who recognize the value of older workers and maximize the potential of their workers as they age. This award program is being co-sponsored by the Cape Cod Media Group and CCB Media.
By embracing their multigenerational workplace as an opportunity, these Visionaries use innovation, flexibility and creative talent management to stay ahead. They also realize that hiring, retaining and using older Workers strategically can solve a variety of pressing problems business owners face.
The local labor market has been especially tight this year. But even as the unemployment rate continues to drop, there are qualified, talented people looking for suitable jobs. Older job seekers are frequently recognized for their dependability, loyalty and customer service skills. That’s why forward-thinking employers are increasingly seeking them out–sometimes luring them out of retirement. The MassHire Cape and Islands Workforce Board and Elder Services of Cape Cod & Islands will recognize some of the innovative businesses that are ahead of the curve in adapting to the changing demographics in our local workforce.
People are living longer, and working longer, too. The Cape and Islands had 30,500 employed individuals over age 55 in 2010. That’s more than 30% of the workforce. Many will work well past the traditional retirement age. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that labor force participation rate is expected to increase fastest for the oldest segments of the population—most notably, people ages 65 to 74 and 75 and older—through 2024. To stay fully staffed and successful, businesses here and across the country are experimenting with ways to attract and retain older workers by re-engineering job descriptions, investing in adaptive technologies, and modifying working conditions.
“Hiring older workers is good business more than it being about goodwill,” explained Chris Richards, chair of MassHire Cape and Islands Workforce Board. “Time and again, when we see businesses grow and thrive in the current economic climate it’s because they’ve adapted to our changing population.” Through the new Age Forward Employer Awards Program, the Board and its co-sponsors hope to gather a compendium of innovations and best practices that can breed even more success among area businesses.
Age Forward Employer Award Recipients for 2018
Photo Credit: Judith I Selleck
Congratulations to Orleans Auto Supply; Cupcake International/Oz Cape Cod; Town of Dennis Council on Aging for receiving this year’s Age Forward Employer Awards.
The winners were announced at-the First Annual Age Forward Employer Awards breakfast hosted by MassHire Cape and Islands Career Center. Matt Pitta of CCB Media served as Master of Ceremonies.
The awards were presented by this year’s judges:
Denise Dever is the previous owner of Home Instead and long recognized as a Certified Age Friendly Employer. Denise presented the first award to Eva Schegulla representing Brenda Lee, proprietor of Cupcake International /Oz Cape Cod.
Mary Conklin is Program Coordinator at The Center for Corporate and Professional Education at Cape Cod Community College where she works with Cape businesses. Mary presented the second award to Town of Dennis Council on Aging. Brenda Vazquez and Samatha Kossow accepted the award.
Dr. Jan Hively, Who was 2006 Purpose Prize Fellow and founder of Shift Minneapolis, a clearinghouse for ideas, programs and people seeking more satisfaction. Jan Hively presented the award to Orleans Auto Supply President, Dick Fairbanks.
The Age Forward Employer Awards program was created by the MassHire-Cape and Islands Workforce Board in partnership with Elder Services of Cape Cod & Islands and Co-sponsored by Cape Cod Media Group.
