An Australian psychic who is mature age and employs mostly older workers with some aged 80 plus, believes seniors shouldn’t be overlooked in the workforce as they possess the best attributes for long-term employment and are surprisingly tech-savvy.

Rose Smith owns Absolute Soul Secrets, the largest psychic network in the southern hemisphere, and engages the services of 80 psychics worldwide – most aged over 50 and some into their 80s.

“They are motivated and technology-savvy, and if they don’t know something, they make it their mission to learn – for example they retrain to learn about the internet,” said Ms Smith.

“At age 60 I’ve become a professional YouTuber. I already have more than 15,500 subscribers to my channel and that number is climbing rapidly – I’ve had almost 2500 in the past 28 days. It’s fantastic that I’m now being paid to spread my message throughout the world.

“My best workers are aged 60-80 and some have been with me for over 15 years – they put the busines first. In fact, I’m hiring now and always looking for adults with genuine psychic ability regardless of age.”

Ms Smith turns 61 next month and says older workers make the best psychics for three main reasons:  experience (both life and work), loyalty and reliability – important qualities across all jobs.

“We don’t have formal policies about hiring mature age people, but it often turns out that way because they have the qualities we’re looking for: experience, loyalty and reliability,” said Ms Smith.

“We do specify a ‘mature attitude’. Life experience counts, especially if you are working in a profession where you are dealing with other humans.

“Humans are notoriously unreliable and unstable because that’s life at the moment. We need genuine people who can accurately sense what is happening and mature people have those skills already honed.”

According to the Australian Department of Education, Skills and Employment mature age workers are 2.4 times more likely to remain with an employer, get ill less often, take fewer sick days and are quicker to come back to work after being ill. 

In line with Ms Smith’s view, the Department also said mature age workers contribute skills and experience, reliability, strong work ethic and communication skills.

Ms Smith says in her experience mature workers have the following attributes:

• Good leadership skills: they make good leaders because they often have stronger communication skills than their younger colleagues.
• Know what they want: they are true to themselves and don’t let other people’s worries affect them as much. Generally, they have firmer psychological boundaries.
• Loyal: they put the business first, which is what you want as a business operator.
• Good work ethic: they are reliable and mentally, emotionally and physically ready for work.
• Strong networks: with decades of job and life experience, networks are well-established.

Ms Smith said there was a common misconception older workers were less capable, less able to adapt, or less willing to roll up their sleeves and do something new when compared to their younger peers.

“Some members of the younger generation have never seen anything bad, they have never seen a recession, they don’t realise what it’s like to never have any money at all, they don’t know what it is to go hungry – there is a false sense of entitlement,” said Ms Smith.

“They don’t know how lucky they are, especially in Australia.”

Ms Smith believes to disregard older workers would be to a business’ detriment.

“Because there are so many of us Baby Boomers (around five million) and this number is growing – to discount older workers would be bad business,” said Ms Smith.

“With the onset of COVID-19 and in recent times and people not having as many children – those whole generations are going to be affected. Businesses have no choice but to engage mature workers as younger generations won’t be there. 

Ms Smith said being mature age doesn’t mean you need to wind down anytime soon.

“Just because you’re 50, 60, 70 or even 80 doesn’t mean your life’s work is done,” said Ms Smith.

“The most exciting part may still be on the horizon. Being psychic and a spiritual adviser is probably the only job in the world where the older one gets, the more one is appreciated. I don’t believe there is an actual age to stop or start anything.”

Ms Smith started her business Absolute Soul Secrets when she was 40, and now contracts 80 psychics including clairvoyants, mediums, astrologers, crystal ball scryers, dream interpreters, tarot card readers and spiritual Healers. They all work remotely from countries including Australia, New Zealand, England, America, the Netherlands, and France.

“There are not too many jobs like being an astrologer or psychic where due to the nature of the work, the older you get, the more experience you get and therefore the better a reader you become,” said Ms Smith.

“I was very much inspired by Louise Hay as I had trained in her Teachers Program back in the 90s in California.

“I remember her talking about writing her first book You Can Heal Your Life at 50 and so I didn’t feel ‘too old’ to start a business at 40 and I don’t feel ‘too old’ to be a professional YouTuber now.

“When I first started my business, I didn’t leave the house for six months, as I was taking calls for psychic readings at all hours of the day and night.

“I’d put the phone right next to my bed and the calls kept coming, so I kept answering them. It was extremely hard work but it’s the determination that gets you through. Everyone born in the 1950’s has the ‘Arrow of Determination’ in their numerology and that determination has certainly paid off for me.”