50 plus

Use your strengths

Nowadays, unemployment can affect anyone, even experienced, loyal and reliable professionals. With unemployment often comes a paralysing fear of losing touch and being permanently consigned to the scrap heap.

If you have a clear idea of your strengths and weaknesses, you can be more efficient in looking for a job. Thanks to your many years of professional experience, you have many strengths, such as experience, a great many contacts, reliability and good social skills. Strengths which are right at the top of any company’s list of requirements. Be aware of your specific strengths and sell them with the necessary level of self-confidence.

The “50 plus” job search

From the age of 50, looking for a job can entail a number of specific challenges and difficulties. You are nearing retirement age, have higher non-wage labour costs or are faced with prejudices, such as a lack of flexibility and lower productivity.

It is therefore possible that as a “50 plus”, you are at a disadvantage when it comes to applying for jobs. But you’re not without a chance! You can influence your prospects of finding a job. After all, age is not enough to make re-joining the labour market more difficult. A successful job search is also the result of a complete and engaging application dossier, which highlights your professional experience. The labour market measures offered via unemployment insurance will help you improve your starting situation.

Targeted support from unemployment insurance (UI)

Training and employment measures: You can bring your professional skills up to date by taking part in a training measure. Employment measures offer you work opportunities for a limited period and help further develop your competences.

Situation assessment courses and application technique courses: A situation assessment can help you clarify the experiences and expertise you have gained over the years. This then makes it possible to submit a targeted job application. Application technique courses provide support in this regard.

The list of various measures inform you about the relevant objectives and conditions. The labour market authorities from your canton or your RAV personnel consultant can also provide information on these.

Impulse programme: measures to facilitate the return to work

In the years 2020 to 2022, the cantons will implement projects designed to facilitate the return to work of jobseekers whose reintegration into the employment market is more difficult. Older jobseekers in particular are expected to benefit from these projects. In the long term, all the cantons should introduce personalized measures that are appropriate to the target group to support the sustainable return to work of the individuals concerned. At the same time, the projects give the cantons an opportunity to trial new approaches and introduce them on a long-term basis if they prove successful.

For an overview of cantonal projects approved to date, click on the following link. Further information on individual projects can be obtained from the cantons concerned.

 

 

Pilot trial: Supported employment for jobseekers aged 50 or over (measure 6)

For measure 6, the Federal Council commissioned SECO to carry out a pilot trial for jobseekers aged 50 or over who are about to lose their unemployment benefits. SECO subsequently decided, together with the Association of Swiss Labour Market Authorities (VSAA) and experts from the public employment service, to test a new labour market measure through this pilot trial.

The supported employment programme is a new approach to re-integrating jobseekers aged 50 or over into the labour market. Job coaches actively support jobseekers in finding a suitable role and support them and their employers even after they have started the new job. The pilot trial is to run in 13 cantons from August 2021 to July 2024. The body responsible for running the project is the VSAA, while SECO is the project sponsor.

New programme: supported employment for over 50s