NCOA Announces New Online Portal for Older Adults Seeking Employment

The National Council on Aging (NCOA) launched JobSource, a new online portal to help older adults assess their work skills, identify job training opportunities, and find employment.

In March, 1.8 million adults aged 55+ were actively seeking employment, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nearly half of older workers looking for jobs have been without employment for over a year.

“For many older Americans, employment is necessary to remain financially secure, healthy, and independent,” said Nora Dowd Eisenhower, senior vice president of economic security at NCOA. “But as industries and workplaces evolve, it is vital that older adults acquire the skills that can keep them competitive.”

JobSource (www.benefitscheckup.org/jobsource) includes a quick job match system that enables users to assess their work interested and transferable skills. Users can also register on the site to earn job skills certifications and enroll in over 30 free online courses.

The JobSource site is one product of a partnership between NCOA and the Bank of America Charitable Foundation. Additionally, NCOA and the Bank are working with local agencies in New Jersey, New York, San Francisco, and Virginia to assist low-income older adults with accessing holistic services to maximize their economic security.

JobSource is one of a suite of online tools from NCOA that help older adults to improve their economic security. NCOA’s BenefitsCheckUp® (www.BenefitsCheckUp.org) is free online screening service that contains information on thousands of programs available to assist older adults in paying for health care, prescriptions, food, and other necessities. Another tool, Home Equity Advisor (www.HomeEquityAdvisor.org), helps older homeowners to assess when and how they may want to use their home equity to age in place.