Boomers, Seniors Who Need to Stay in Workforce May
Find Welcome Mat at Nonprofits
Reports show nonprofit sector growing faster than
business or government
Oct.
16, 2008 - In these economic times, boomers will need to work longer,
and many say they want a job that provides both money and meaning. The
question is - are nonprofit employers interested in hiring employees who
have finished their midlife careers? What makes nonprofits more eager -
or less - to give encore workers a try?
A national survey released today by MetLife
Foundation and Civic Ventures finds that half of nonprofit employers
actually see encore workers as highly appealing, with an additional 39
percent finding them moderately appealing. In addition, the survey finds
that nonprofits with experience hiring late-career or recently retired
workers are the most positive about hiring more.
Finance professor, former presidential economic
advisor Jeffrey R. Brown believes troubled Pension Benefit Guaranty
Corp. may be next target of a
multi-billion-dollar taxpayer bailout
Tapping Encore Talent: A MetLife
Foundation/Civic Ventures Survey of Nonprofit Employers is based on
a nationwide, telephone survey of 427 nonprofit employers in the fields
of social services, health care/health services, education/youth
development (not including schools), the environment, community
agencies, crisis intervention agencies, and other causes. It is the
second in a two-part survey (conducted by Peter D. Hart Research
Associates, Inc.) examining the job prospects of millions of baby
boomers.
Nonprofit Sector Outgrowing Business, Government
Recent reports show that the nonprofit sector is
growing faster than business or government and facing talent
shortages. According to the Urban Institutes Nonprofit Almanac 2008,
there are at least 1.4 million nonprofits in the U.S., accounting for 10
percent of U.S. employment. A 2006 study by The Bridgespan Group
projected that the nonprofit sector will need 640,000 new senior
managers by 2016.
This past June, the MetLife Foundation/Civic
Ventures Encore Career Survey revealed that between 5.3 and 8.4 million
Americans have already launched encore careers, jobs that combine
personal meaning, social impact, and continued income.
Of those workers ages 44-70 not already in encore
careers, half are interested in them, specifically jobs in education,
health care and the nonprofit sector.
Are boomers all dressed up with no place to go?
asked Phyllis Segal, vice president and director of the research project
at Civic Ventures. Our first survey showed tremendous interest among
boomers for work that matters. This survey asks nonprofit employers
whether they see a match. The answer for most is a tentative yes, with
an appreciation of benefits and some concerns about uncharted
territory.
Key
findings from the employer survey include:
● More than four in 10 nonprofit employers (42
percent) see recruiting and hiring talent as a top human resource
concern, and only 9 percent expect it will get easier to find the talent
they need.
● Nonprofits with experience employing
late-career or retired workers are more likely than other employers to
view these workers as very appealing by a margin of 53 to 40 percent.
They are also more positive about workers who have switched from
business to nonprofits (40 to 29 percent).
● Nearly seven in 10 nonprofit employers (69
percent) rate the valuable experience encore workers bring to the job as
a significant benefit, and 67 percent say the same about encore workers
commitment and reliability.
● Some employers expressed serious concerns
that encore workers could demand higher salaries (25 percent), be
reluctant to learn new technology (23 percent), lack
technical/professional skills (20 percent) and could have higher
insurance/benefit costs (19 percent).
● In terms of addressing the flexibility
requests of workers young and old 90 percent of nonprofits say that
they offer part-time work, 86 percent say they offer flexible schedules
to all or some employees, but just 40 percent say they allow employees
to work from a mobile office or home.
The fact that pioneering nonprofits are already
enthusiastic proponents of encore workers is encouraging, said Sibyl
Jacobson, president and CEO of MetLife Foundation. They see encore
talent improving organizational effectiveness, adding capacity,
providing opportunities for learning across generations, and creating
the kind of flexible roles that make nonprofits attractive to workers of
all ages.
Money is always a concern for nonprofits, but
money is not the only organizational resource, said Marc Freedman,
founder and CEO of Civic Ventures, a think tank on boomers and work.
Human resources are as significant as financial ones, and this new
research raises the prospect of a vast new market for human resources
and a new fantasy for nonprofit leaders: What if talent were no object?
What if a modest percentage of boomers pursue
encore careers and a fraction of organizations change attitudes and
practices to recruit and retain them? Freedman continued.
The result would be a genuine windfall of time,
skills and experience in areas deeply dependent on these attributes to
succeed.
Visit
www.Encore.org for stories of people currently in encore careers.
Survey Methodology
The MetLife Foundation/Civic Ventures Survey of
Nonprofit Employers includes both qualitative and quantitative research
conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc., from February to
April 2008.
Hart Research interviewed 427 nonprofit employers
by telephone from March 27 to April 18. The sample was based on a list
provided by the well-respected national list management firm infoUSA.
About MetLife Foundation
MetLife Foundation (www.metlife.org)
was established in 1976 by MetLife to carry on its longstanding
tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. In the
area of aging, the Foundation funds programs that promote healthy aging
and address issues of care giving, intergenerational activities, mental
fitness, and volunteerism.
About Civic Ventures
Civic Ventures (www.civicventures.org)
is a national think tank on boomers and work.
Keep up with the latest news for senior citizens, baby
boomers
Oct.
16, 2008 - In these economic times, boomers will need to work longer,
and many say they want a job that provides both money and meaning. The
question is - are nonprofit employers interested in hiring employees who
have finished their midlife careers? What makes nonprofits more eager -
or less - to give encore workers a try? 
Key
findings from the employer survey include: