10 Best Jobs for the Elderly in Today's Workforce
Do you have any idea that by the year 2024, or in another 6 years, Thailand will enter a "Senior Society" fully? If things go as predicted, the elderly aged 65 and over will continue to increase steadily, accounting for 14% of the total population. However, there are still many elderly people who are healthy and energetic, and they remain industrious to earn a living because they do not want to burden their descendants. Today, PunThai will share with you careers for the elderly that even though they are retired, they can still do. Because besides providing income for themselves, it also fits the concept of "PunThai Seniors."
Situation of the Elderly in Thailand
Before discussing supplementary careers for the elderly, let's briefly talk about the situation of the elderly in Thailand. Currently, Thailand is facing a situation where the elderly population is continuously increasing while the birth rate is declining rapidly. The latest statistics indicate that the number of newborns in Thailand is less than 600,000 per year, and this year the birth rate is only 0.18%, which is relatively low.
The main reasons for this phenomenon come from various factors, including changes in lifestyles, preferences for having children, as well as more effective family planning policies. Meanwhile, the average life expectancy of the Thai population is steadily increasing, resulting in a continuous increase in the proportion of the elderly in Thai society.
This situation is a significant challenge in planning policies and managing various aspects to adapt to the changing population structure. It is essential to pay attention to caring for the elderly appropriately in terms of health, welfare, and ensuring a stable income.
10 Careers for the Elderly, Generating Income without Relying on Descendants
1. Gardener
After retiring, many elderly people turn to spend their leisure time gardening, which is one of the most popular hobbies for seniors. Growing plants they love brings them not only personal happiness but also benefits for their physical and mental health.
While gardening may not always provide significant income for seniors, it offers numerous advantages. It allows them to spend time close to nature, experience the freshness of plants, and engage in light physical activities such as watering, pruning, and tending to the plants. These activities contribute to improving their physical strength and flexibility.
Moreover, gardening as a hobby helps seniors utilize their free time effectively, promotes happiness, relieves stress, and provides opportunities for creativity and resilience-building. Therefore, this leisure activity is highly suitable and valuable for the elderly.
2. Private Tutor
The field of private tutoring nowadays offers flexibility and various formats. Tutors can choose to work with tutoring institutions or provide supplementary teaching in general schools. Additionally, there's another interesting option: online tutoring. This opens opportunities for seniors who have accumulated knowledge over the years to share it in various subjects.
Beyond academic subjects, tutoring can cover general knowledge, specialized knowledge, and skills for various professions such as cooking, repairing items, crafts, drawing, and even music lessons. With such diversity, tutoring for retirees offers opportunities for those who have expertise and interest in various fields to fully utilize their knowledge and abilities to teach others.
However, it's essential for tutors to be dedicated and committed to imparting knowledge and to continue educating themselves to ensure the quality of their teaching and meet the needs of their students effectively.
3. Cooking or Baking for Sale
Cooking is an interesting activity suitable for many people, whether they have prior cooking experience or not. This period is an excellent opportunity to try new things or develop recipes to make food even tastier.
One appealing career for the elderly is preparing and delivering boxed meals to homes or offices nearby. For those who are more inclined towards baking, they can try selling baked goods from home or consigning them to local shops, cafes, or coffee shops.
If your food or baked goods have a delicious taste and have been well-received, it's no surprise that you'll have regular customers. This means creating a stable income without relying on descendants. Developing your recipes and sales strategies can further increase your income and establish your reputation both locally and online.
4. Craftsman
During their working years, many people often engage in crafts as a leisure activity, such as sewing or embroidery. When retired and having more free time, these skills can be used to generate additional income, which is interesting.
Craftsmanship has market value, and producing high-quality and beautiful products can attract customers both domestically and internationally. Therefore, having grandchildren or younger people assist in marketing and online sales can increase product visibility.
Utilizing existing craftsmanship skills to generate additional income in retirement is one option when it comes to jobs for the elderly. Not only does it make leisure time more valuable, but it also passes on unique masterpieces to future generations along with intellectual property and income.
5. Influencer or YouTuber
It's undeniable that nowadays, online media has a significant impact on everything. It's no surprise that the number of influencers or YouTubers continues to increase steadily in this era. Social media has opened opportunities for people of all ages and genders to generate income through various online channels, whether it's working as an influencer, a YouTuber, reviewing products, or selling goods online.
Especially for the elderly who still have energy and a desire to try new things, stepping into the online world is an interesting option. Besides not feeling lonely, it could also lead to beautiful income if one can build a loyal fan base. Furthermore, having a solid fan base might open doors to other business opportunities.
However, in this profession, the elderly must rely on perseverance, effort, and adaptability to new technologies. They also need to identify their strengths and present themselves uniquely. Successfully doing so could open doors to new and exciting opportunities and challenges in the online world.
6. Consultant
After retiring from regular employment, many people may still have the energy and desire to utilize their extensive experience and abilities. Thus, becoming a consultant for various organizations or companies becomes an intriguing option.
Being a consultant not only provides a good income but also offers an opportunity to share knowledge and perspectives gained from long experience. It helps in guiding and advising organizations in strategic planning and problem-solving.
Moreover, this profession for the elderly is a way to create value for themselves and enhance their post-retirement quality of life. By utilizing their knowledge and skills for beneficial purposes, they feel valuable and meaningful, enhancing pride and fulfillment in their senior years. Being a consultant is akin to extending the success of their lives and living a valuable life for those who have experience and expertise after retirement.
7. Dividend Stock Investor
If you prefer not to pursue a career after retirement, investing in dividend stocks can be an interesting option for generating additional income. It serves as a suitable avenue for those who are experienced and knowledgeable in stock market investments.
Dividend stocks help create a regular income stream from the dividends received, which can be particularly beneficial after retiring from a job.
However, investing always carries risks, so thorough research and strategy planning are necessary before making decisions. Seeking advice from financial experts is also advisable.
For retirees with a strong foundation of investment knowledge, investing in dividend stocks can be a good profession for generating regular income after retirement. But it's crucial to exercise caution and diligence in investment decisions to minimize risks as much as possible.
8. Writer or Translator
For retirees, being a writer is an interesting career option because it allows them to share their life experiences and extensive knowledge in various forms of writing.
If you enjoy writing or reading, you can choose to write guidebooks, sharing your experiences from your previous career to educate the younger generation. Alternatively, you can write articles that can be compiled into books or published online. Moreover, if you have proficiency in foreign languages, you can also take on translation jobs. Overall, writing offers various formats to choose from based on individual interests and strengths. Apart from generating income, it's also a way to pass on life experiences and share knowledge with others, thus creating lasting intellectual legacy.
9. Online Sales
In today's era, online businesses are becoming increasingly popular due to their convenience for both buyers and sellers. This presents an interesting opportunity for retirees who want to generate additional income.
Selling products online is a suitable avenue for retirees looking for supplemental income after retirement. It eliminates the need for physical storefronts and the necessity to stand and sell products all day. Retirees can conveniently run their businesses from the comfort of their homes.
Whether it's food, daily necessities, souvenirs, or handicrafts, presenting and promoting products online can broaden the customer base. However, older entrepreneurs may need to study additional online sales techniques and seek advice from younger generations or marketing experts to efficiently operate their businesses. Overall, the online world provides convenient opportunities for retirees to generate income.
10. Barista
Currently, many shops or department stores provide opportunities for elderly retirees to work as employees. They recognize that seniors still possess abilities to work, whether as bookstore staff, store managers, or in other positions they can handle.
Another challenging profession for retirees is being a "barista". Being a barista doesn't require excessive physical effort and includes tasks beyond just brewing coffee. It involves overseeing the overall ambiance of the coffee shop to create a good experience for customers when ordering coffee.
Finding employment for the elderly isn't as difficult as one might think. Many workplaces or even large organizations continue to accept job applications from seniors. For those who are bored at home and still have the fire to work, there are suitable careers waiting. PunThai supports seniors to apply as baristas with us, joining the "PunThai Elderly" family to promote suitable job opportunities for them. This contributes to building a quality elderly society, where the elderly population is not a burden to society but an asset that helps drive the Thai economy forward, without relying solely on the working-age population. For those who want to open a franchise with PunThai, read more on PunThai blog and PunThai website. Become a member of the Thai Generation Elderly today!
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