Job Creation from the Silver Tsunami

Despite our best efforts, we’re all getting older. Yes good looking, even you.

In 2008, our state saw a 30% jump in the number of employees turning age 62, then last year baby boomers started turning 65, and we can now estimate a 150% increase in people age 85 and older over the next 30 years. Never before has society seen this many older adults.

Have I convinced you our world is getting older?

So, what does this “silver tsunami” trend bring to our job creation work you ask? Well, it’s bringing jobs my friend. Millions of jobs.

Despite the common wish we’ll all live independently without any need for assistance in our daily routines, the reality is older adults are most likely to require services and that means a “booming” demand in the careers across the field of aging services.

A May 2012 report by the Paraprofessional HealthCare Institute projected a 48% increase in all direct care worker occupations, making it the largest occupation group in the United States by 2020. We’re talking about a 71% growth in the number Personal Care Attendants, 69% growth in Home Health Aides and 20% growth in Nursing Assistants.

And don’t get me started on the growing crisis when it comes to Nurses!

So far I’ve only mentioned growth in our demand, but even now we have thousands of open positions. For example, in our state (Minnesota) today we have 925 full time jobs open for Nursing Assistants and another 463 jobs for licensed nurses.

With this many openings and the looming impact of our aging population, you can appreciate the pressure to find qualified candidates. If we don’t, who will be there to provide care?

These aren’t just any jobs – they’re quality jobs filled with meaning, and we’re not seeking just anyone – we’re looking for compassionate people called to serve older adults in many ways and in many types of settings. But to meet the growing demand we need to get the word out now.

To successfully recruit thousands of positions in the coming years, our Association of Organizations was uniquely positioned to effectively create a platform to help employers connect with job seekers quickly, easily and affordably. After a national search, our software solution became clear – SmartRecruiters fit the bill.

Using SmartRecruiters free recruiting software, Association members – many of whom have few human resources staff, even though they may be the largest employer in their county – can easily post open jobs directly to our new AgingServicesJobs.org website, social media platforms and other free online job boards.

Each of our 1,000+ employer companies also now have access to creating customized professional career centers for their websites through SmartRecruiters – an opportunity many would otherwise never have had been able to implement.

Together, Aging Services and SmartRecruiters are leveraging their unique roles to transform the experience of aging – and working towards excellence and innovation in the field of older adult services.

If there is one thing I know, whether you’re a talented graphic designer, accountant, chef or cut from the very special cloth that allows you to be a professional caregiver, it’s that we likely have a job just for you. And thanks to SmartRecruiters, we’re more likely to find you.

Adam Suomala is responsible for workforce development strategies at Aging Services of Minnesota, the state’s largest nonprofit association of senior living providers. On August 8, 2012 Aging Services launched AgingServicesJobs.org – an online career center powered by SmartRecruiters connecting more than 50,000 caregivers serving over 63,000 older adults every day in all of the places they call home, including not-for-profit nursing homes, assisted living communities and a variety of community-based services.