Laid off at 60: What next?

It’s not something that anyone still working wants to think about at all. What if you get made redundant before you are eligible for retirement? How hard will it be to find a new job? How will this affect your plans?

It is never easy to get laid off, but it happens, and looking for a new job when you are over 60 is, unfortunately, a struggle. It is made increasingly difficult if your previous job had been mostly physical as studies have shown that there is more discrimination towards mature workers in physical labour occupations.

So what do you do if you find yourself in this situation?

Go over your finances with your partner or finance specialist
It might be imperative to have a look at your current status to see what your options will be while you are looking for work. It can help to build a tighter budget that will allow you to concentrate on finding employment and not how your bills are going to get paid.

Chat with a job agency and have a serious think about your profession
If you have been let go from a trade, it might be a sign that times are changing in that occupation and any time looking for work in it will only end in frustration. Talking with an expert in the current job field could help you open the possibilities to different occupations that you might not have considered. Spend some time on the computer and research these jobs as they might be exactly what you want to do next.

Be your own boss
You have all the experience; you have the know how it might be time to take control of the game. There are some great financial gains to be made in consulting work, make yourself available to companies in your field as an expert in the field. Obviously, some professions don’t lend themselves to this option. If you find yourself unable to consult perhaps, it’s time to make your hobby your job. A lot of money can be made from freelancing or craft. Websites like Fiverr, Freelancer, or Esty help people become their own business and make money doing what they love.

If all else fails, if you have a good car, subscribing to Uber is the way a lot of Australians have started to supplement their incomes.

It is easy to feel despondent and isolated after losing your job, but you need to know that there are options out there for everyone. It will just take some hard work, but you already know how to do that.

Have you recently lost your job or have you been looking for awhile? Did you recently find a job after searching for awhile and have some advice to people going through this now?