Being unemployed in middle age, returning to work may be more difficult than imagined. (Illustration, Bloomberg)
[Financial Channel/Comprehensive Report] If you are unemployed in middle age, returning to the workplace may be more difficult than imagined. Data shows that once people over the age of 50 become unemployed, they are twice as likely to remain unemployed for more than one year as young people. Experts believe that this is directly related to the age bias in the recruitment system. They suggest that middle-aged unemployed people who want to make a comeback can go through the three steps of "pause, reflect, and plan" to reduce anxiety, take stock of their own strengths, and formulate the direction of their next stage of career.
The Independent reported that data from the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that middle-aged workers are gradually being squeezed out of the labor market. Especially after reaching the age of 50, the employment rate has dropped significantly. Only 71.6% of people aged 50 to 64 are still employed. What’s even more troublesome is that after being unemployed, middle-aged and older workers are twice as likely to remain unemployed for more than one year as young people. Experts believe that this is directly related to age bias in the recruitment system.
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Among them, Generation X, born between 1965 and 1980, is particularly under pressure. Behavioral scientists believe that Generation
Long-term exposure to high levels of stress will also keep the brain's threat system operating, flooding the body with cortisol, thereby compressing the ability to think creatively and make long-term decisions. In other words, the brain is busy "surviving" at this time instead of thinking about the next strategy.
Rosie Nixon, the former editor-in-chief of Hello! magazine and now a life coach, pointed out that she herself suffered psychological exhaustion in her late 40s due to more than 25 years of high-pressure media work, and completed a career transformation at the age of 50.
Nixon believes that middle age is not the "expiry date" of a career. Neuroscience shows that even into your 60s, the brain is still highly plastic and neural circuits can be reshaped. So instead of asking yourself, “Why won’t anyone hire me?” ask yourself, “What value do I want to create next?”
To this end, Nixon proposed the "PRO" method, which consists of three steps: Pause, Reflect and Organise.
The first step, "pause," is to reduce stress before making important decisions. When people are under stress, the function of the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for planning, creativity and problem solving, will be affected. Therefore, you can arrange short breaks throughout the day, such as taking a deep breath, walking in nature, or temporarily staying away from mobile phones and computers to recover from anxiety.
The second step of "reflection" is to re-examine the values that you currently value, the strengths that have not been fully utilized, and the parts of your past work that still bring you a sense of accomplishment. Nixon emphasized that mid-life transformation does not mean starting from scratch. Successful transformation is often just reusing what you are good at in a different way.
Finally, there is “planning”. First, take stock of your financial situation to determine how much revenue you need every month, and then break down the transformation plan into small, controllable, and continuously executed steps. At the same time, you should also expand your network, because job opportunities often do not come from the people closest to you, but from peripheral networks such as general acquaintances and former colleagues.
In the face of AI recruitment systems, Nixon suggested that resumes should use keywords in the job description, present work results with specific numbers, avoid overly fancy resume formats, and continuously update LinkedIn information. At the same time, do not just rely on online submission of resumes, but should be combined with network expansion to increase the chance of bypassing the automated screening mechanism.
Nixon believes that the last 15 years of a career can still be the most satisfying, influential and true to oneself. Turning around in middle age is not about turning yourself into a different person, but about recombining decades of accumulated experience and abilities so that you can more fully utilize your original value.
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