GRACE'S MUSINGS: Dreaming of a midlife career change?

Change is scary – I understand that better than most. But new research suggests that, for midlifers in the job market, a career switch can positively impact both our health and our wealth. That’s got to be a good thing at this stage in our life.

Many of us in our fifties and beyond are probably thinking about hanging on to our current job until retirement (if we actually retire at all). But a report from the OECD – the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development – suggests that the majority of workers aged 50-plus who switch jobs benefit from improved work flexibility and better mental health.

So why aren’t more of us doing it? Chasing the dream of opening a B&B in the south of France? Retraining as a yoga instructor? Becoming self-employed? Or just swapping roles within our chosen profession?

Only 6% of workers aged 55-64 change jobs in any given year – that’s compared to 11% of colleagues aged 25-44. What’s stopping us? I was certainly daunted when I set up Studio 10. There were so many hurdles to consider: age, health, caring responsibilities, technological challenges – and all the issues around gender. I went ahead and did it anyway, though. But some women never get that far.

“For many older workers with less-than-ideal working conditions,” the OECD notes, “changing occupations can seem so daunting that some do not begin their job search at all.” Along with the external obstacles come internal doubts.

What many of us require is simply support and community. And it’s in society’s interest to give us those things – unleashing the potential of a vast number of midlifers eager for change. Nobody wants an ageing society that can’t adapt. So let’s do something about it.

Workers aged 45-64 already constitute 41% of the OECD workforce. With younger populations shrinking, employers are going to need to rethink their recruitment and retention strategies.

That’s to our benefit as midlife working women. And the OECD report suggests that this new, longer-living world is starting to reward those who seek to redefine themselves by changing jobs. Disruption is becoming an opportunity for growth.

“Workers who changed jobs mid-career are significantly more likely to be employed at age 60,” said Shruti Singh, the OECD senior economist heading up the research. “And older workers who change jobs voluntarily tend to have wage increases, compared to those who don’t.”

Employers are going to have to make things easier for us – at the very least by improving their outlook. As many of us know to our detriment, ageism is the current default mode in most large organisations. That has to change. And the growing use of AI in recruiting doesn’t help. Instead, we need some positive bias.

Big organisations have to invest in retaining and supporting their midlife employees, introducing career reviews, training programmes and upskilling opportunities – before the workforce just gives up hope.

For me, founding Studio 10 was one of the best things I ever did. Yes, it took some nerve. But I found that courage. I hope you can, too.