72000 job resumes analysis: why and what talents do elderly people need when they continue to work? | Elderly people | Job seeking

Lao Zhang stepped on his bicycle and put his wife and daughter's complaints behind him.

Lao Zhang stepped onto his bicycle and put aside his wife and daughter's complaints.

He held a flame in his heart, riding faster and faster,

I'm worried that if I don't have time to take the shortcut to work in the factory,

After being stopped by the police on the road, he pulled out his work certificate,

After being stopped by the police on the road, he pulled out his work certificate,

Willingly holding clothes and being sealed off in the factory dormitory,

"You let me stay at home, I feel uncomfortable".

You asked me to stay at home, I feel uncomfortable all over.

Lao Zhang, currently 61 years old, is still active in the workplace with his mechanical drawing skills. There are many elderly people like him who hope to return to the workplace after retirement.

In 1999, the United Nations proposed the slogan "Building a society for all ages"; Today, 24 years later, the wave of re employment for the silver haired is rushing towards us. Looking around the world, countries such as Japan, South Korea, and Italy have entered a super aging society - people over 65 years old account for more than 20% of the national population, but the proportion of elderly employment in the total population is less than 10%.

In August 2022, China's elderly talents online, from the national official level to provide elderly job seekers with the opportunity to show themselves with resumes and face-to-face communication with enterprises; "recruiting retired employees, 55-60 years old, 4-5 days a week, 4-8 hours a day, 1800/3500/month", McDonald's such a recruitment message caused heated discussion......

According to the seventh Chinese population census data in 2020, the number of labor force aged 15-59 has decreased, and the proportion of elderly people aged 60 and above has increased. The dividend brought by the working age population is gradually receding, and more and more silver haired people hope to return to the workplace. According to the 2022 Research Report on Retirement and Reemployment of the Elderly Population by 51job, 68% of the elderly population in China have a strong willingness to work after retirement, and this willingness is still growing.

Young seniors looking for jobs

Linda,51, because of her returnee background, worked as a Chinese teacher and overseas marketing promotion before retirement. After retirement, she chose to cooperate with educational institutions and become a consultant for many students. Liao Gong, 60, retired from the infrastructure work of the Electric Power Bureau and joined a supervision company to shuttle through various projects in the county......

In the resumes of the elderly recruitment website, the re-employed elderly are concentrated in the 50-65 age group, which means that they have just retired from their original positions and choose to go to the re-employment workplace. Most of them meet the definition of the word "talent" in the title of the senior talent recruitment website, or were managers in high positions, or accountants, engineers and other occupations, and have their own skills in some field.

For this group of elderly people standing in front of the door marked with the words "re employment" eager to try, they still have a long way to go.

Young and elderly people seeking employment

Linda, 51 years old, had previously worked as a Chinese language teacher and promoted overseas markets in a company due to her overseas returnee background. After retirement, she chose to cooperate with educational institutions and became a consultant for many students to pursue further education; Liao Gong, 60 years old, retired from infrastructure work at the Electric Power Bureau and joined a supervision company, shuttling through various projects in the county

"This has nothing to do with life. I am not for money. I just hope that I will be a social person before and after retirement." Xu Xiaoyan added. From the site selection to the purchase of appliances, she did all her own work. After the opening of the store, she was busy with all kinds of work, whether it was the back kitchen, miscellaneous sweeping, hospitality, or bits and pieces.

In the resumes of senior talent recruitment websites, the majority of re employed elderly people are in the age range of 50-65, which means that they have just retired from their original positions and choose to go to the workplace for re employment. They mostly meet the definition of "talent" in the title of senior talent recruitment websites, or have previously held high positions as managers, accounting, engineering, and other professions, possessing their own expertise in certain areas.

Reasons for reemployment: value realization and life needs

For Xu Xiaoyan, the age of 50 means she will end her career at the power bureau, just like her former retired colleagues, "taking care of her family and occasionally playing mahjong.". But she always felt that she wasn't that old.

She is worried that she will have a significant psychological gap after retirement, and will be prematurely confined to the family's care responsibilities, being abandoned by society. So six months before her retirement, "starting a snack shop" was included in her future plan.

"This has nothing to do with life. I'm not for money, I just hope to be a member of society before and after retirement," Xu Xiaoyan added. From site selection to purchasing equipment, she personally took care of everything. After the store opened, she was busy with various tasks such as kitchen, cleaning, and hospitality.

"Because my family doesn't understand me, they think I'm always looking for trouble, and my friends are mocking me about it." Amidst heavy questioning, she insists on proving her worth. "Actually, I'm more afraid of losing than anyone else, but fortunately, I've proven myself with the results." Currently, the income from the snack shop is very considerable.

This persistence does not only exist in Xu Xiaoyan alone.

The experience of wearing a military uniform and his work achievements made Zhao Minwen still want to do something after retirement. "You have also seen the papers I wrote, right? I think I have the ability to work in this area and can solve problems for society and enterprises, and I am certainly willing to contribute this experience." Zhao Minwen said without hesitation when explaining his decision to "re-employ after retirement. The data shows that 19% of the elderly, like him, hope to use their skills and continue their career development after retirement.

According to data, 46.7% of elderly people seek personal and social value through re employment; At the same time, 34.3% of elderly people consider re employment as an important source of income to support their families and maintain their livelihoods.

58 year old Wang Tianlan and his lover both come from rural areas and have been making a living by doing odd jobs. He first worked at the Construction Engineering Group for seven or eight years, then transferred to work as an after-sales service provider in the electrical industry. A few years later, he transferred to a telecommunications company to be responsible for the maintenance of optical transmission boxes... He never had a particularly stable job.

"I have skills, I am a skilled worker," said Wang Tianlan. The capital he has made a living in these years is his own skills. Although the salary is not high, there may be situations where payments are not made on time. "But where do we need money at home, you wife and child? At that time, the child was still young and needed money urgently, so I kept changing jobs. I've been doing this for decades."

Wang Tianlan, as an over age migrant worker, was dismissed from his previous job due to relevant regulations. At present, he is actively seeking a career, on the one hand, to "save some pocket money to solve his retirement problem", and on the other hand, to subsidize his son's college living expenses.

Low wages and poor treatment are the primary difficulties in re-employment.

Data from the China Senior Talent Network and the National Retired Talent Network show that there is a great difference between the number of resumes delivered by the elderly and the number of jobs provided by enterprises. There are great restrictions on the provision of jobs, which deviates from the willingness of the elderly.

Zhao Minwen's experience wearing military uniforms and achievements in work have made him want to do something even after retirement. "Have you also seen my paper? I think I have the talent in this field and can solve problems for society and enterprises. Of course, I am willing to contribute this experience." Zhao Minwen said without hesitation when explaining the reason for his decision to "re employment after retirement. Data shows that 19% of elderly people, like him, hope to showcase their skills and continue their career development after retirement.

Job search channels: mostly relying on acquaintances

As soon as Lao Zhang stepped down from his position as deputy director of the machinery factory, he went around asking people to help him find a job; Dai Sheng'en from Heyuan, Guangdong walked into a store with job postings along the street, asking questions one by one; Zhang Fengling received several interview opportunities by submitting her resume and relying on her teacher's experience.

Zhang Fengling, 60, came to Beijing with her children from Jiangxi after retirement and has participated in several job interviews. During the interview, she found that she was often paid by age. "People in their thirties may not do things better or faster than me. Why should they put me in a lower gear and get less salary just because I am older?" she said irregularly.

According to the report data, 58% of retired elderly people obtain positions through acquaintances, and 19.3% choose to go offline to the store for consultation; 11.7% of elderly people choose to submit their resumes on mainstream recruitment platforms; The proportion of job seeking through the local talent market is 10.7%.

Compared to the younger group, silver haired individuals have less internet access and find it difficult to access recruitment information that matches them on online recruitment platforms. Although the launch of job search platforms for the elderly, such as the China Elderly Talent Network, has indeed opened up specialized channels for their reemployment, there is still a certain distance between them and the elderly population with actual job search needs due to the lack of supporting publicity and promotion methods.

The level of welfare benefits for the elderly who enter the re-employment of employers is significantly reduced, and they do not even get basic labor security. Unlike Zhang Fengling, who can categorically refuse unfair salary treatment, Wang Tianlan, who urgently needs to subsidize his family, cannot even sign a labor agreement or labor contract with the employer. For this reason, he often gets into the dilemma of asking for salary. "Last month, I went to install a photovoltaic power station for someone else. It has been installed for a month and I haven't received any wages yet." Wang Tianlan said.

According to data from China Elderly Talent Network and National Retired Talent Network, there is a significant difference between the number of resumes submitted by elderly people and the number of positions provided by enterprises; There are significant job restrictions, which deviate from the job preferences of the elderly.

On the Chinese Judgment Documents website, "over-age elderly" was used as a keyword to search for cases with "labor disputes", and 2308 judgment documents appeared. Among them, the factory assembly line of the general workers, cleaners, etc., is a high incidence of labor disputes. In the prosecution request, the highest is the "labor relations".

However, finding a job position is only the first level.

In interviews with elderly people in Beijing, Tianjin, and Jinan who are re employed, it was found that 30.43% of them face difficulties such as heavy workload, long working hours, and high pressure. The first group facing difficulties in re employment are elderly people who feel that their wages are low, accounting for 39.13%.

New opportunities on the road to re-employment

"You are getting older, so we may assign you less work accordingly..." This is the most common phrase that Zhang Fengling hears when negotiating with employers, and "less work" often appears at the same time as "shorter time" and "lower intensity". "But in fact, it may not be like this after going."

Zhang Fengling, who is 60 years old this year, came to Beijing with her children from Jiangxi after retirement and has participated in several job interviews. During the interview, she found that she was often paid based on age. "A person in their thirties may not necessarily do things better or faster than me. Why do they classify me as a lower class just because I'm older and want to get a lower salary?" she protested.

"In an interview situation like this, I would immediately reject them," said Zhang Fengling.

Lack of protection: elderly workers fall into labor disputes

The level of welfare benefits for elderly people who enter employers for re employment has significantly decreased, and they may not even receive basic labor security. Unlike Zhang Fengling, who can firmly refuse unfair salary treatment, Wang Tianlan, who urgently needs to subsidize his family, cannot even sign labor agreements or contracts with the employer. He often falls into the dilemma of demanding compensation for this. "Last month, I went to install a photovoltaic power station for someone's home, and it has been a month now. I haven't received any payment yet," said Wang Tianlan.

It's Monday again, no different from weekday mornings for the past three decades. Lao Zhang, who finished his single break, set off for the factory on his bicycle as usual. Accompanied by the creaking friction between the wheels and axles, he passed by the faster and faster vehicles beside him, passing by the young white-collar workers rushing forward to the subway station on the sidewalk, waking up with the whole city and rejoining the crowd.

In interviews with elderly re employed individuals in Beijing, Tianjin, and Jinan, 46.38% of the elderly did not sign any agreements or contracts. "There's no such thing as signing a contract. At our age, people don't want to sign a contract with us. If we want to do it, we can do it. If we don't, we can do it," sighed Wang Tianlan.

Authors: Fan Xiaoxing, Li Xinyu, Yan Shunhao, Yang Yijing, Adila

A search for cases with the cause of labor dispute using the keyword "elderly people over age" on the Chinese Judgment Document Network resulted in 2308 judgment documents. Among them, general workers and cleaners on the factory assembly line are high incidence positions of labor disputes. In the lawsuit request, labor relations rank first.

[1] Yang Hua. Investigation on the Claim of Retirement Right in Judicial Practice: A Study from Litigation Archives [J]. Northern Jurisprudence, 2018,12:94-105.

The determination of labor relations is a prerequisite for the protection of the rights and interests of elderly workers. The key protections for workers, such as the minimum wage standard, wage distribution, and work-related injury recognition, all exist due to the confirmation of labor relations. However, most elderly people who are re employed often lose their worker qualifications and corresponding rights protection due to exceeding their retirement age and receiving basic pension insurance benefits for urban employees.

In a judgment document released on September 29, 2022, a cleaner surnamed Zhou from Jilin was recruited to work at an employer when he reached the legal retirement age. He suffered physical discomfort while working and eventually died. However, due to exceeding the retirement age at the time of signing the labor contract and not enjoying pension insurance benefits in accordance with the law, the application for work-related injury recognition was hindered due to disputes over labor relations.

New Opportunities on the Road to Reemployment

On November 18, 2021, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued the "Opinions on Strengthening Aging Work in the New Era". The Opinion proposes that in the face of the reemployment needs of the elderly population, it is necessary to improve the elderly care service system, improve the elderly health support system, promote the social participation of the elderly, and actively cultivate a silver haired economy. With policy support, organizations from all walks of life and government agencies, enterprises, and institutions will jointly participate in carrying out elderly care work in conjunction with their respective functions.

While some silver haired people seek opportunities in traditional industries for re employment, there are also elderly people who choose to venture into emerging industries such as nutritionists, fitness coaches, homestay landlords, and elderly models... This series of professions combines the advantages and needs of the elderly to become the direction for them to re work.

[7] Office of the Seventh National Census Leading Group of the State Council, "Main Data of the Seventh National Census in 2020", 2020