Help Wanted: Charlotte Area Employers Seek Out Older Workers

AARP Foundation and The Employment Guide® partner to connect older workers with some of Charlotte’s largest businesses at a special job fair

Charlotte, NC August 24, 2007 – In response to an aging workforce and a tightening labor market, the AARP Foundation and The Employment Guide have combined efforts to bring together older workers with companies who seek their talents. On Tuesday, September 18th, from 10 am to 2 pm at the Sheraton Hotel at the intersection of I-85 and Billy Graham Parkway, more than 50 employers will meet and interview hundreds of job seekers, many age 50 and older, at the Charlotte Employ the Older Worker Job Fair.

Co-sponsored by the AARP Foundation and The Employment Guide, the Charlotte job fair is part of the Employ the Older Workers Job Fair Series, taking place in more than 40 cities across the country from Aug. 22 to Oct. 23. The job fair series is being held in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Labor’s National Employ Older Workers Week, Sept. 23-29, 2007.

As Baby Boomers begin to gray, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in 2000, 13 percent of the U.S. workforce was 55 and older and, by 2010, that figure will likely increase to 17 percent. Nearly 7 out of 10 workers age 45-74 tell AARP that they plan to work in some capacity in retirement.

Participating employers will seek to fill hourly positions ranging from entry-level to management and they represent industries such as health care, customer service, hospitality, finance, sales, insurance, skilled trades, transportation, security and more.

For more information, visit www.EmploymentGuide.com.