By Dan Boudreau

There is a workplace defrag in progress, and it can be bad news for aging workers who have put off the learning of useful computer skills.

The workplace is always changing, but the most pervasive shift over the past couple of decades has certainly been an increase in the use of technology. As an employer, this means I need computer literate workers in order to survive in the marketplace.

Whenever the economy slumps, employers have to make tough decisions. With fewer sales and less cash to pay the bills, business owners are continually streamlining their operations in order to stay competitive. Strong businesses will survive and weak ones will not. Sometimes this means laying off the less effective workers.

The robust economy of the past few years has allowed some 25 and 30-year employees to ignore the ongoing technical revolution. Now, jobless and nearing retirement age, they could use a shot of computer skills to be more competitive with other job seekers.

If you are 50 or 60 something and caught in the crosshairs because of your age and lack of computer skills, your job hunting efforts are going to bring disappointment unless you take action. Whether you are looking for a job or trying to start a small business, the path is sure to be friendlier if you have some basic skills in the following three areas.

• Basic computer and keyboarding skills.
• Use of a wordprocessor (usually MS Word).
• Use of a spreadsheet (usually MS Excel).

It’s never too late to learn computer skills. Most of the unemployed folks I meet actually have access to computers, and almost all have experience with email, social networking, and surfing the Internet. So their lack of skills is not due to the absence of equipment. For some, it’s simply that they haven’t prioritized the learning of computer skills that might be useful for work.

If you find yourself unemployed and have a bit of time on your hands, it’s a matter of choosing your path and getting started. You have countless learning opportunities at your fingertips. It might be a matter of taking a course at one of the local educational facilities, or simply getting a friend to tutor you. An hour a day could bring impressive results after a very short while.

Your learning doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. A quick Internet search for “basic computer skills” reveals 73 million hits. A search for “learn to use a computer free” brought 142 million links. The problem is definitely not a shortage of opportunities to learn.

For today’s worker, the absence of computer skills is simply a matter of attitude. At any time, you can make it a priority, belly up to the keyboard, and take full control of your learning.

Copyrighted Material. All Rights Reserved.