Job Fields Promising For Workers Over 50

If you're over 50 and are looking for work or career change over the next three years, there is good news.

There are ten fields that will have great demands and are looking to fill those positions. Older workers could be great fits for many of these openings, according to a new report from AARP and IMPAQ International.

Many employers are “having trouble filling vacancies with qualified, well-trained workers,” the report says. That could translate into opportunities for workers over age 50. People in this group are more likely to face longer periods of unemployment after they lose a job. For employers and older job seekers, finding the right match could really be just a matter of looking in the right place, according to the report.

The other key for older job seekers, the report states, is to look at occupations that make use of the skills they have already developed during their careers. “Among older workers making career changes, those who are able to make use of existing skills in their new job tend to be more successful.”

Here are the occupations, expected to have the largest labor shortages over the next few years:

Sales Representatives, Wholesale And Manufacturing

These jobs include sales agent, sales representative, sales executive, sales consultant, direct salesperson and technical sales representative. Workers 50-plus are already working in this or a similar job making up nearly 10 percent of those employed. There is an expected high demand for employees in these fields in Colorado, Kansas and Maryland. These positions generally require at least two years of secondary education in the academic area of the product.

Computer Occupations

Occupations include programmers, computer and information research scientists, computer user support specialists, computer system analysts, information security analysts, and web and software developers.

Entry requirements vary from a vocational degree with on-the-job training to an advanced degree. This is one of the fields, that many workers over 50 may require additional training to work in.

Health Diagnosing And Treating Practitioners

Surgeons, podiatrist, orthodontist, optometrists, dentists, therapists, pharmacists, exercise physiologists, dietitians and nutritionsists and chiropractors are among the professions in this group. Many of these positions require extensive training and advanced degrees. As a result, many of the job openings are most likely to be filled by workers already in these fields or those wanting to come out of retirement..

Health Technologists And Technicians

This category includes jobs such as medical and clinical laboratory technologists/technicians, dental hygienists, radiologic technologists, and emergency medical technicians and paramedics. Many roles require extensive training and advanced degrees. The projected shortage for workers in these fields is predicted to be high in Minnesota and South Dakota.

Advertising, Marketing, Promotions, Public Relations And Sales Managers

These jobs consist of advertising and promotions managers; managers for marketing, public relations and sales and fundraising. These positions generally require at least a bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.

Engineers

Engineer employment include aerospace, agricultural, biomedical, chemical, civil, computer hardware, electrical, environmental, industrial, materials, mechanical and petroleum. Of the all the fields experiencing a shortage of qualified workers, this is the one with the highest hourly wage, at $38.46. Most of these positions require at least a bachelor’s degree, with many requiring advanced degrees and extensive training.

Motor Vehicle Operators

These jobs include bus drivers, taxi drivers, chauffeurs, ambulance drivers, bus drivers, sales drivers, heavy or tractor-trailer truck drivers, light-truck or delivery-services drivers. Workers over age 50 are already an easy fit for these jobs as most of these jobs require a high school diploma and a few months of training. But the average wage of $16.62 per hour was the lowest of the fields with predicted shortages.

Financial Specialists

Jobs in this category are accountants and auditors, appraisers and assessors of real estate, budget analysts, credit analysts, financial analysts, personal financial advisers, insurance underwriters, financial examiners, credit counselors, loan officers and tax preparers. For almost all of these roles, at least a bachelor’s degree is needed. Many require a master’s or post-bachelor’s certificate.

Business Operations Specialists

These are positions such as claims adjusters, examiners and investigators; compliance officers; cost estimators; farm labor contractors; fundraisers; human resource specialists; insurance appraisers (auto damage); labor relations specialists; logisticians; and management analysts. Virtually all of these jobs require at least a bachelor’s degree, and most call for a master’s or some kind of post-bachelor’s certificate.

Operations Specialties Managers

Among the options in this category are financial managers and managers for administrative services, computer and information systems, industrial production, purchasing, transportation, storage, and distribution, compensation and benefits, human resources, and training and development. For these jobs, education requirements range from a high school diploma to postgraduate education.