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Quitting is Not An Option

Screen Shot 2016-01-05 at 11.22.03 AMAt 5 percent, the jobless rate is what some economists view as full employment. But that figure doesn’t capture the challenges that millions of people – particularly women over 50– still face in trying to regain their workplace footing, The New York Times reports.

new study on long-term unemployment from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis found that prospects for women over 50 darkened after the Great Recession.
In 2006-7, before the downturn hit, less than a quarter of the unemployed in this group had been out of work for more than six months. By 2012-13, older jobless women accounted for half of the long-term unemployed.

Throwing in the towel is not an option, just as settling for unsatisfying work shouldn’t be a solution, either.

In her recent piece in U.S. News and World Report, Hannah Morgan says that it is critical for job seekers to pay attention to job trends – and job hunting trends as well.

Given our aging population, she notes, there’s a growing list of opportunities in health care. As geographical boundaries continue to fade, companies have warmed to employees working virtually. They value skills over a fancy college degree, she says.

“The best way to keep up with change is to stay current,” she says. “Begin to acquire new skills, keep abreast of trends and learn everything you can about your current industry. Don’t become complacent or fall asleep at the wheel. Your career needs someone alert to drive it forward!”

What do you think women need to do to break this statistic? What specifically should employers and others focus on, too?