Monday, May 28, 2007

Careers with Flexiblity - Needed, Wanted and on the Way


Employers are starting to hear us!

Three recent reports highlight careers desired by moms,

retirees. Employers are starting to listen.

Three studies have recently been published that address the career desires of people

like us: disenfranchised workers – moms, caregivers, retirees and those who just can't

or don't want to work full-time hours – who want to make a professional contribution.

In the past, we've been shunned from the workplace because of our need for flexible

work arrangements. The studies reveal that the time has come for this once-hidden

market to be exposed. The best part is...employers are starting to listen!


In an early April, 2007 Gallup Poll survey entitled, “This is Not Your Father’s

Retirement,” (http://www.galluppoll.com/content/?ci=27580), Lydia Saad found:


• Nearly 75% of non-retired Americans say they plan to rely on income from

part-time work after they “retire,” to help fund their golden years. 21% of this

group says part-time work will be a major source of income for them.


• 27% of current retirees fully retired at age 65 or older. 57% of non-retirees

say they will fully retire at 65 or older. These differences reflect changes in Social

Security laws, but may also include changes in societal norms or the financial

needs of retirees.


In her book “Off-Ramps and On-Ramps,” author Sylvia Ann Hewlett found that

employers are missing a huge talent pool by not creating positions for women who

voluntarily leave the workplace:


• On average, women “off-ramp” from the labor pool for 2.2 years.

93% of them are trying to re-enter.


• 45% of women “off-ramp” to spend more time with their children.

24% do so because of an elder care crisis. A full 31% leave the workforce for

non-caregiving activities.


Hewlett found that several large firms like Booz Allen, UBS, Ernst & Young, and

Time Warner are creating programs to help women succeed as flexible-schedule

employees. A Tuck Executive Education at Dartmouth et al study (http://www.aquent.com/docs/pdfs/Aquent_Tuck_Career_Pathways_Survey.pdf)

found:


• Even though 85% of hiring managers said it was important to expand their employee

recruitment pool, only 34% hire those seeking flexible work options.


• Within the next ten years, 85% of corporations said they would expand their

recruitment strategy to include project-based staff and former employees who had

left the workforce.


45% of these companies are currently utilizing this technique.


Aquent, the world's largest marketing staffing firm and one of the study's sponsors,

is drawing from the at-home pool as a new source for its interim staffing programs.


I am confident that the reports’ findings will help open employers’ eyes to the

“treasure trove” of talent that is not currently being tapped. With 78 million Baby

Boomers becoming retirement age-eligible, and only 49 million Gen Xers behind

them to fill their shoes, employers must be more creative with how and whom they

hire.


This data helps to reinforce the mission of MyPartTimePRO.com. One of our goals

is to educate employers about the pool of talent they are not tapping into by creating

positions that provide little work/life balance. Then we aim to link these enlightened

employers with this wealth of "employee resources."


If you come across any interesting studies, additional information/articles/books or

companies that proactively recruit employees who require a work/life balance, please

share them with me. The more success stories we have, the easier it will be to inform

future employers.


Thank you!

Ilyse Shapiro

Founder, MyPartTimePRO.com

Ilyse@MyPartTimePRO.com
at

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