Podcast Extra: How AI Is Reshaping Work for Older Americans — Insights from AARP’s Carly Roszkowski

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Well, the job market these days can be tough for anybody, but especially older workers really concerned about either losing their job and then having to find a new one in a tough job market or, you know, other concerns within the workplace. And AI is increasingly becoming a part of that workplace, including finding a new job. Well, joining me to talk more about that is Carly Roskowski with aarp. She is the VP of Financial Resilience programming there. Hi, Carly, how are you? [00:00:31] Speaker B: I'm good, Matt. Thanks so much for having me today. [00:00:33] Speaker A: No problem. Thanks so much for being a part of the discussion here. And it's a very important one. I mean, first of all, as we kind of set the, the sort of baseline, I guess, for our conversation, what are people saying about their concerns about either, you know, losing a job, finding a new job at a certain age? I know that you all have some new research that kind of delves into that. [00:00:55] Speaker B: Yes, we do. And the labor market is, is quite challenging right now. Many people who have jobs are staying put. We're calling that sort of job hugging. You might have heard that term. So older workers who have been laid off or those who retired and want to go back to work may have more difficulty finding a job than they have in the past during this current climate. Our recent research shows that about a quarter of the older workers we surveyed are concerned about losing their job within the next year. And more than Two thirds, about 67% of older workers believe it would be difficult to find a new job right now. [00:01:30] Speaker A: Yeah. Wow. It really is a concern obviously, for a lot of folks then. And so, you know, I mentioned AI there. You know, it's, it's sort of taking over our lives a bit. And, and I think it's gone from maybe this sort of like, scary unknown thing to just this sort of tool that we're all using in one way or another. How are workplaces, especially in the job search or that maybe the, the candidate search, if you're talking about the, the company's position there, like the candidate part of things, how are they using that? And I guess as a, as a follow up to that, how can candidates for jobs actually use that to their advantage? [00:02:12] Speaker B: Yeah, so the job market has changed dramatically in recent years with AI playing a much bigger role, both on the employer side and the job seeker side. So we encourage older workers to embrace this technology, including AI, and use it to help with their job search. You can use it to help write your resume and cover letters. It can also provide information or research on the companies that you're interested in or you're applying to. And it can even predict the types of questions that may be asked during an interview. [00:02:42] Speaker A: Wow. And so, you know, what are some tips that you may have for older job seekers who are either, you know, updating their resume, maybe looking at using different AI tools to either help with that or other aspects of the job search process? [00:02:58] Speaker B: Job seekers should focus on making sure that their resume highlights their skills and experience and not their age. So we recommend your resume resume be no more than two pages long. Focus on your recent experience, include your credentials, but you don't have to include your graduation dates. Take off your street address and maybe ditch that old AOL or Hotmail email address for a more modern service like Gmail. But we also talk a lot about making sure that your resume includes industry specific terms or keywords straight from the job descriptions that you're applying to. Because some employers are using AI based tools to do an initial review or scan of candidates. And if you have these keywords or specific terms, it can improve your chances of making it past those sort of first digital gatekeeper rounds. [00:03:48] Speaker A: Yeah, boy, talk about the changes in the workplace and in the job seeking area. It really is crazy how things do evolve over time. And you know, I mean, as we talk about older workers and folks going either going back to the workplace or just being in the workplace for a long time and bringing that experience to the table. Aarp, I know, often really highlights the benefits that come with that. You know, people of different generations working together. What does that look like right now in 2026? [00:04:21] Speaker B: Yeah, there are five generations in the workplace today, which is fantastic. And we see and research shows that multi generational teams bring together different perspectives, different skill sets and different ways of solving problems. We hear from younger workers that collaborating with older colleagues provides them opportunities to learn new skill and contributes to maybe a more productive work environment. Our recent research shows that 90% of all workers enjoy working with people of different ages. [00:04:52] Speaker A: Yeah, I often have enjoyed that as well. Like just getting that when I was younger, like, you know, getting that experience and, and all of that just from people who have been there and done that in the workplace. I always thought was just so helpful. And really they really do just bring a lot to the work that they do. And along those lines, what resources are out there? You know, from aarp, I should say for older Americans who may be looking [00:05:17] Speaker B: for work right now, job seekers can go to aarp.org work to find expert advice, tools, resources, including AARP and Indeed's job search platform, which offers thousands of curated job listings. Help with your resume and interview prep. [00:05:38] Speaker A: Very good. Well, we will direct our listeners in that well direction. Carly Roskowski is vp, VP of Financial Resilience Programming at aarp. Carly, thank you so much for spending a few minutes with me. I really do appreciate it. [00:05:51] Speaker B: Thank you, Matt. Have a wonderful day.