Wanted: 20,000 workers Recruitment crisis on boomer exodus

You've searched for months, almost dropped your standards, and taken a few lower paying jobs but you're just not finding anything that works. After four agonizing years of searching for a job, a staggering twenty thousand workers without any luck. Maybe it's time to escape the rat race and start thinking about your retirement; as if age discrimination wasn't enough to put you off already.

Unfortunately, we're not talking storybook retirees with seaside homes on Maui here; many of these people are being forced into poverty or onto welfare. And this isn't just limited to unskilled laborers either; in many cases these are qualified professionals who feel they have no other choice than to apply for benefits or charity handouts.

It's not just young people who are finding themselves in this situation either; it's also their parents. 45% of over 50-year-olds have applied for unemployment benefits since the recession, and the figure continues to grow every year. Furthermore, many of these beneficiaries say that they have been forced to take out welfare as they can't find a job.

And if you thought it was bad for the younger generation then think again. If a person of retirement age takes a younger person's job then society appears to be far more forgiving, but if that person is under the age of 30 and has been on benefits for over six months, then there is hell to pay.

For every job vacancy advertised for someone in their 20s, there are three for those in their 50s. This is because the boomers want to get back into the workforce as quickly as possible after being forced out by the recession, but they've found they're unable to make a decent living.

And it's not just people seeking jobs that are putting off retirement; many retirees are also giving it another go. This is down to the government's failure to maintain its promises over recent years and having pensions significantly less than advertised. As a result, many people seeking work have decided that there's no point in continuing working until they receive an adequate pension.

In a recent interview, an experienced lorry driver said that he had given it his all over the past few years but had just not been able to get a job: "I've been through six interviews without any luck," he explained. "It's depressing because I love my job, but there is just no work out there."

Furthermore, the amount of people going on holiday has decreased by 20% over the past few years. This is due to them being unable to afford trips abroad or getting time off work to go skiing or whatever they're into. The summer months are usually a time when people can enjoy themselves, but many have changed their plans as they simply can't afford to take time off.