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Crosscurrents

Working past retirement is a necessity for many seniors

Under CC license from Flickr user Mark Adkin

What happens to people in their 60s who can't afford to leave the workforce, but they can't find a job? One place unemployed seniors might turn for help finding a job is the Senior Community Service Employment Program. It provides job training to low income, unemployed people by finding them temporary work at nonprofits around the country. Roxanne Murray is a director working with the program for the Family Service Agency of San Francisco. 

KALW'S Ben Trefny sat down with Roxanne Murray to find out how low income seniors can overcome ageism and technology changes to find employment.

BEN TREFNY: Why are employers turning away from the mature population and even beyond, 35 and older?

ROXANNE MURRAY: It’s something that for people who have been through the experience over and over and they continue to get the same responses or the same lack of response. They have a sense they’re looking for maybe younger people. There might be a concern that someone who’s older and highly skilled might be looking for more compensation. There’s always the issue of health care. You can be in the best of health, but maybe I won’t be well for the next 10 or 15 years. It’s very real.

Click the audio player above to listen to the interview.

For more information about the Senior Community Service Employment Program, click here or call the toll-free help line at 1 (877)US2-JOBS (1-877-872-5627).

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Ben joined KALW in 2004. As Executive News Editor and then News Director, he helped the news department win numerous regional and national awards for long- and short-form journalism. He also helped teach hundreds of audio producers, many of whom work with him at KALW, today.