Growing Encore Career Movement

As Baby Boomers reach retirement age many are choosing to purse encore careers. According to recent USA Today article by Richard Wolf, this movement can be defined as “an effort to match older workers who can’t or don’t want to retire with public service jobs that benefit society”.

Inez Killingsworth, Founder and Board President Empowering & Strengthening Ohio's People. Pursuing an encore career working to help homeowners avoid foreclosure. Recipient of Civic Ventures Purpose Prize. (Photo Credit: Civic Ventures)

Those familiar with AmeriCorps may recognize this movement in programs such as Senior Corps, Experience Corps, and VISTA. The article emphasizes that these experiences are exactly what boomers are looking for. Many have recently left jobs in the corporate sector and have decided to take this time to become a part of the public service community.

According to a study done by MetLife Foundation and Civic Ventures, over 5 million Americans are currently involved in encore careers. Additionally, more than half of people between ages 44-77 expressed interest in pursuing this type of opportunity.

Older workers choose encore careers for a variety of reasons, whether they cannot afford to retire or a simple desire to do something socially meaningful now that they are no longer employed full-time.

USA Today quotes Marc Freedman, founder and CEO of Civic Ventures, saying “People are hitting the reset button. There is a tremendous feeling of kind of returning to earlier ideals.”

Luckily, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved. Many nonprofits are looking for workers who can contribute experience and varying skill sets.

 

Interested in an encore career? Here are some Corporation for National and Community Service programs for seniors:

• Experience Corps
• RSVP
• Foster Grandparents
• Senior Companions