Job fair for older workers draws a variety of applicants, experience
Job fair for older workers draws a variety of applicants, experience

By Paula Burkes

Published: September 21, 2008

At age 59 and single, Judy Hensley of Mustang is in the market for a job. Since 2003, when she was laid off from Lucent Technologies, Hensley has gotten by, working security and other odd jobs.

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"I had to tap my retirement to pay my taxes,” Hensley said. "And before I knew it, it was mostly gone.” Her monthly pension, minus her medical premium, is about $1,000.

"Let's face it, I have to hold a job,” Hensley said. "That, marry a rich man or win the lottery.”

Labor statistics show the U.S. work force 55 and older will climb to 17 percent by 2010. Then, one in three hourly workers will be older than 50, according to a national employment publication.

Hensley and other area job seekers turned out in droves Tuesday for a special older workers job fair at the Science Museum Oklahoma. The event was part of a series of nationwide fairs held in conjunction with the Labor Department's National Employ Older Workers Week. Nearly seven of 10 workers ages 45 to 74 tell AARP they plan to work in some capacity in retirement.

An hour into the four-hour fair, about 100 job seekers had shown up. Twenty-nine employers sponsored booths, including Braum's, Integris Health, Dillard's, Riverwind Casino, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, OceanDental and the Oklahoma Transportation Department.

Medical benefits are what interests Gerald Kirby, 61, a strawberry grower and former General Electric database administrator who recently moved from Greensboro, N.C., here to care for his mother.

"I paid for my house outright and have plenty of money to live on,” Kirby said. "But the big thing is health care.” For independent coverage, Kirby pays $300 a month, with a $5,000 deductible.

After six months employment, Avaya telecommunications equipment company offers free health insurance to workers and their families, operations manager Marian Turner said.

"I think job seekers find that encouraging, as well as the fact that we have 32 openings today for customer care associates,” she said. Associates start at $9.59 an hour and within three years, can earn $25 an hour, Turner said.

EyeMasters offers medical benefits to part-time workers, who are needed at all area malls, human resources manager Andrea Tovar said.

"They're good jobs for anyone,” Tovar said.

"People can work daytime or night hours that meet their schedule and earn up to $2 extra an hour on commissions paid on lens coatings and other options.”

Tuesday's fair also brought out younger workers, including Lee Curtis, 45, and Wale "Wally” Adesanwo, 32.

An aircraft maintenance officer, Curtis after 23 years in the Air Force recently retired to put down roots with his new wife, Cheryl, and their daughters.

"The timing turned out to be not so great,” Curtis said. "I thought I could move right into a civilian job at Tinker, but Tinker was downsizing at the same time, the economy slowed.”

A chemical engineer, Adesanwo was laid off two months ago by Standard Aero.

"I'm looking for a management opportunity but it's not that important,” he said. "I need to make at least $14 an hour.”

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