baby boomers crowding the web
March 24th, 2005
A recent Pew study, on the heels of a study done last year, confirms that the number of older Americans (65+) becoming active online is growing. In just a year, the percentage has gone from 15 percent to 22 percent, according to the survey.
Click here to see some of the study’s specifics, but here’s what I found interesting:
Furthermore,
the Pew study found that once seniors get online, they are just as
enthusiastic as younger users. Wired seniors are as keen as younger
users to take advantage of the major activities that define online life
— such as e-mail and the use of search engines to answer a specific
question. In addition, they are as likely as younger users to go online
on a typical day.
The future workforce is incredibly dynamic and will be unlike anything we’ve seen before. People are going to work longer into their life, and probably do a variety of things. Now, they’re seemingly more "with it" than a lot of people previously might have thought.
As an employer, if you want to connect with this group, the evidence is there that you’re going to have to do it online. Part of that will be to make sure they can find your company’s jobs via search engines.
Additionally, you’re going to have to make sure that your Web site appeals to this audience. For example, is the text on your site big enough? And are there images of older workers that they can relate to? Give your online employment brand a tune-up.
