Jollity’s Job Board Aims to be the Go-To Place for Seniors and Retirees.

In late 2021, Dr. Evan Viera created Jollity Jobs, an online job board targeting workers 50 and over to give seniors and retirees a source to find local employment easily.

The idea emerged from discussions with his patients, Vieira said. Often, he would hear from people that they didn’t want to retire because they wanted to avoid dipping into their savings or that they had been laid off and were looking for something part-time to do.

What to Know About Jollity Jobs & Why We’re Here

  • Jollity’s online job board serves local job seekers over 50.
  • By 2030, 9.5% of the U.S. labor force will be over 65.
  • A retirement expert says part-time work can make a difference, even as little as $10,000 a year.

While there are currently about 100 job postings on the site, Vieira hopes to grow the startup into a resource for seniors seeking part-time and full-time work. 

The jollityjobs.com site is free for job seekers and employers, though eventually, he plans to charge employers a nominal registration fee and find advertisers. “We’re trying to build a community that curates and cultivates jobs for that population,” he said.

73-year-old Carl Kirschner of Dix Hills used Jollity to look for work after retirement. Having learned about Jollity from Dr. Vieira, Kirschner said he had been seeking part-time and short-term jobs to use his decades of academic experience. His search on larger job boards only turned up what he called “clickbait” ads for jobs that were supposedly in line with his skill set but were for positions like a delivery driver.

“The job never is what they say it’s going to be,” said Kirschner, formerly a college dean of students at Suffolk County Community College and a college coordinator at now-defunct Briarcliffe College.

“At 73, I’m looking for a couple of days here or there to keep myself fresh and to meet new people,” he said.

Why Are Seniors Looking To Rejoin The Workforce?

AARP’s associate state director on Long Island, Bernard Macias, said retirees and seniors might want to jump back into the workforce for several reasons.

“They want to stay social, they want to make a difference, perhaps they didn’t save enough,” he said. “I don’t think anybody ever thinks to save for inflation or recession.”

Macias said that the older generation is staying in the workforce longer, whether for social or financial reasons.

As retirement savings slowly diminish, retirees are often forced to depend on part-time jobs, even as little as $10,000 per year, said Ed Slott, founder of IRAhelp.com.

“Most workers are used to putting money away and watching their savings grow,” Slott said. “Once you stop working and your savings go in reverse … that’s not a good feeling.”

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 9.5% of U.S. workers will be 65 or older by 2030. According to BLS projections, the number of Americans 75 years and older in the labor force is expected to grow by 96.5% by 2030.

Alternative for employers

Using Jollity, Mita Parikh posted an opening for a part-time receptionist at Hidden Smiles Orthodontics in Huntington. She said finding help has been problematic since the pandemic began, and typical job boards have yet to be of much help.

“The traditional methods — Indeed, ZipRecruiter and Craigslist postings — weren’t coming through for us,” said Parikh; “and while a few applicants did make it further along in the hiring process, she said their schedule requests and apparent work ethic weren’t what she was looking for.”

A friend suggested Jollity to her after speaking with other business owners in the medical community about their hiring challenges.

“I was like, you know what, the retired generation understands the value of doing a really good job and values showing up to work every day,” she said.