Looking for a job for people over 50 is still a challenge. People over 50 remain one of the most difficult groups on the labor market today – they are the ones looking for employment the longest. Despite growing staff shortages and demographic pressure, returning to work can still be difficult. At the same time, something is clearly changing. Companies are beginning to notice the potential of employees with extensive experience. For candidates 50 plus, 2026 may be a breakthrough year, provided they look at the labor market more consciously.
— People over 50 still have the most difficult situation on the labor market and this has not changed – says Agnieszka Operhalska, co-founder of the Heart and Mind – Wisdom of Generations foundation. This is confirmed by data from the Randstad Labor Market Monitor: candidates aged 50-64 look for a job for an average of 7.2 monthsthe longest of all age groups.
But employers have a problem: More people leave the labor market than enter it. There is a shortage of young specialists, and high turnover destabilizes teams. In such conditions, they increasingly consider cooperation with people over 50.
Labor market 50 plus. The most promising industries
— At the end of the year, many employers contacted us job offers for people 50 plusand even prefer candidates with such extensive experience on the market – says Agnieszka Operhalska.
This is above all insurance industry. Then medical and care sector and trade. — An aging society creates demand for products and services for seniors. —It's a whole bunch of different services that someone has to prepare, sell and communicate. Who will sell insurance better than a person with practical experience? – the expert asks rhetorically.
Growing companies are looking for experienced employees. There's one catch though – it's rarely about full-time job.
Employment of people aged 50 plus, employment contract and protection period
Although the demand for experience is growing, the classic full-time position is less and less chosen by employers. The key problem remains protection periodwhich in the case of people of pre-retirement age means very limited flexibility for companies.
– This is a huge risk for small and medium-sized enterprises – emphasizes Agnieszka Operhalska. — They don't know what will happen in four years. They cannot freely respond to market changes or restructure teams.
In practice, this means that even companies ready to cooperate with people over 50 are looking for solutions that do not involve long-term obligations. Full-time employment is increasingly being replaced by contracts, project work or temporary task contracts. – It's easier to hire someone for a specific project than to take on an obligation that cannot be resolved if the financial situation deteriorates – explains the expert.
This mechanism does not only apply to people over 50. As the expert notes, a similar logic increasingly applies to younger employees, who are more quickly pushed towards sole proprietorship and contract work.
Read also: Stereotypes in communication: how to avoid exclusionary phrases at work
Retraining after the age of 50. These competencies are crucial
The change we are observing in the labor market will not cover all people 50+. The candidates who have the greatest chances are those who do not define their value solely through the prism of the position they hold, but who can translate your experience into specific tasks and business needs.
As the expert emphasizes, the problem of many people is not the lack of competences, but their “freezing” — many years of work with an unchanged scope of duties that no longer corresponds to the real needs of companies. In such cases, even extensive experience does not protect against going out of business.
— it is not always necessary to be full professional retraining. It's about the ability to translate experience into tasks that can be performed in a new work model, and about complementing competences, says Agnieszka Operhalska. — This applies to all employees, not only people over 50. Anyone who does not learn and update their skills will simply disappear from the labor market.
Read also: Immigrants 50 plus on the labor market. Why don't companies hire them?
Free training and career counseling for people over 50
People 50+ looking for a job do not have to cope on their own. Agnieszka Operhalska emphasizes that it is worth using the available help – but carefully. The growing demand for support also attracts people who are not very competent.
— The first place should be Labor Offices – says the expert. — I know that not everyone wants to go there, but there are really a lot of good career advisors. This is already a good start.
Offices offer not only advice, but also free courses and training for people 50 plus, of which there will be many more in 2026. You can also seek support from foundations dealing with the activation of people over fifty or ask for recommendations from friends.
How to recognize a reliable career advisor? — A professional counselor says directly: you will have to work, the sessions will last this long, it will look like this, I expect a lot of work – he explains. — Some people give up after such a conversation because they thought that they would listen to wise stories and that would be all. That's why advisors often offer a free introductory session – so both parties can test each other.
Important: the right person is not necessarily the one who tells us what we want to hear. — These are often psychological conversations – about your weaknesses, about self-appreciation, about what you have done. You need to do a self-scan and come to terms with yourself a little, explains the expert.
The coming year will be a year of new opportunities, both for employers, who must change their thinking about the structure of the company and redesign workplaces, and for the employees themselves. – What has changed regarding… people 50 plus on the labor market? I think we are talking more and more about the fact that they also have to do their job, sums up Agnieszka Operhalska. — And this will be crucial in 2026, because the market is very dynamic and competitive.
