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Can we seriously say that 50 is too old to work?

Susan Ryan

by Susan Ryan

01 Oct 05:57am

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Filed under: Age Discrimination, Ageing, Skills, Society, Susan Ryan, Workforce

40 comments

Where did we Australians get this idea that 50 is old, too old, over the hill? Since becoming Age Discrimination Commissioner, I have been asked this question many times. I can’t answer it. 

Not many young people can pull off this maneuver.Photo: Herald Sun

But we have to find an answer. We have to get rid of this damaging idea. Because of it, too many people are being forced out of their jobs when they have barely turned 50. When they apply for a new job, they are often ignored, or fobbed off with excuses like, “You are overqualified”, or “We are looking for someone with lots of energy”! This fob-off is not only insulting, not only damaging to the well-qualified, motivated mature worker, it leads him or her on the downward path to poverty in old age. 

If sustained, these experiences can lead to depression. After all, everyone needs to feel useful, to get recognition for a job well done. We all enjoy the company of fellow workers, and most of us need to earn money and grow our super, well into our 60’s and beyond. If all this is denied us, just because of prejudice, we suffer. And, tragic as it is, this is not just about the waste of individuals.

The national economy needs more skilled workers. Employers tell us this all the time. Governments of all persuasions want more of us to achieve financial independence before we retire. Yet, despite the demand for skilled workers, and the supply of mature workers, we still tolerate a huge though unnecessary gulf between supply and demand. National productivity suffers, and public spending on age pensions and health benefits increases.

So today, on the International Day of Older People, I hope we stop and think about all this.

Yes, we all get older. And we know that in Australian society, as in all developed societies, the proportion of older people is growing, as the proportion of younger people declines. The fact that we are living longer and in better health should be a matter for rejoicing. But age discrimination turns this historic achievement into a negative - a worrying burden.

We must not accept this false view any longer. And we don’t need to.

Some forward-looking employers are already putting new opportunities in place to enable their mature workers to work longer, and even to hire new ones. Such changes are pretty straightforward. They can include offering more part-time roles to people who wish to work fewer hours to free up time for other interests or to care for family members. Or roles could be changed to include less intense project management and more mentoring.

As a society, we need to relearn our respect for age. We need to restore the principle of merit and apply it irrespective of age.

The belief that you can’t teach older dogs new tricks has no basis in science. When properly motivated and instructed, anyone can learn new things. The rapid increase in use of the internet, including online banking and smart phones, by older Australians supports this capacity to change. There are government payments available to employers for skills analysis of their older workers. And if some retraining is required, further funding can be provided.

Everyone knows an older person they admire - perhaps a grandparent or a community volunteer who helps keep school crossings safe or trains youngsters at the local Nippers, or runs their own business. These people are terrific -and they aren’t rare.

Most older people are healthy and positive. Most will not need to go into residential care, nor will they be afflicted by dementia. Much as we must support better standards of care for frail older people, and more research and more understanding of dementia, we should not see these difficulties as typical of all older people.

Research shows that many people, up to and beyond 70, want to continue in work. They could be an important part of a more productive economy - that growing economy we need. If the only thing that stops them is age discrimination, we should all attack that. Next time someone thoughtlessly remarks,” Isn’t she getting a bit long in the tooth for that job?”, or “Why waste a training course on him? He’s turned 50”, challenge them and insist on the facts.

One thing is sure. Every one of us will get older. With any luck we will all reach true old age, heading for the personal century. Let’s make sure that this journey is one where everyone gets to experience dignity, respect and opportunity.

I hope by International Older Person’s Day 2012, here in Australia, we will have already achieved some progress.

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40 comments

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    • onlooker says:

      08:38am | 01/10/11

      My husband is a boilermaker, its not a case of teaching old dogs new tricks in that trade, its a case of the old boys teaching young qualified boilermakers the trade!! They have cut and slashed training over the years and these old guys have to teach their young counterparts the trade after they have qualified! I have no idea what will happen when the old boys retire, but they need to start training these kids better now. I am sure it is the same with most blue collar worker trades.

      Reply

    • Damian Parkhill says:

      09:51am | 01/10/11

      Totally agree - In baking, our industry has suffered hard due to the lack of older people to help train and mentor apprentices (especially older males to help counteract the Den mother managers and teenage female uni S#!ts that belittle the younger male apprentices). Sadly many of them have quit because of unreasonable work production quotas or the low pay involved - and to make matters worse, we’ve just found out they plan to shut down the only TAFE in Perth and leave it to the business to train and sign off apprentices (that’s going to end well - who the f!@# comes up with these dumb ideas?) essentially killing off the bakery trade as we know it.

    • acotrel says:

      09:51am | 01/10/11

      @Onlooker
      There has long been the perception that the trades are dominated by the unions.  And that the education path is a dead end. There has been a concerted move away from employing trades people in industry towards automated americanised production.  We Australians do this at our peril, our strength lies in our versatility, and our ability to build quality into our products. You don’t get that from robots ! The new ideology is flawed !

    • Ed says:

      11:29am | 01/10/11

      I think you are confusing teaching with mentoring…

      All young workers, tradies and professionals, need mentors for the first few years of their career, even after all their training.

      Don’t be so bitter, it’s the weekend after all.

    • acotrel says:

      09:19am | 01/10/11

      I believe that Australian manufacturing industry is in a spiral into nothingness !Ageism is a blight on society !  At age 50 most people are just reaching the stage of being competent !  If they are thrown on the scrap heap then , when they apply for the next job they get interviewed by the young upstart manager, who feels threatened by them !  The simple fact is that when Australian employers require qualifications and experience for jobs, what they really want is someone compliant.  The rest doesn’t matter.  Most of their businesses are low-tech and backward looking anyway !  What people need to recognise is that the system runs on bullshit, and all they need do is play the game, and we’ll all be much happier !

      Reply

    • mick says:

      09:23am | 01/10/11

      Its a bit of a 2 edged sword Susan. 

      In some cases skill and more importantly an understanding that only time can bring are thrown out the window for a fresh look.  This defies logic as well as often causing aging folk the right to support themselves in meaningful jobs.

      Then of course you have the John Howard school of opinion where people should work until they drop dead.  Totally unrealistic but a great way of avoiding having to pay pensions.  This dumb great idea which only a politician could come up with defies the logic that some jobs are not able to be performed into old age.  Jobs like teaching and manual labour jobs are best handled by those who are resilient enough to cope with the intense pain which they often bring.

      Unfortunately one size does not fit all and it should not be mandatory to retire at a given age.  But given human nature and the waves which run through society bosses will act illogically until a change comes or until they realise that older people have a lot more to offer.

      Reply

    • St. Michael says:

      01:58pm | 02/10/11

      On the “work til you drop dead” line: bear in mind the age pension—which is what this whole thing is really about—as originally created was designed to be paid only for a couple of years.  It was designed to come in at 65 when people’s life expectancy was around 67 or so on the high side.  It was just ‘tide you over until dead’.

      That is a very, very far cry from the present Australian life expectancy of 75 for men and 82 for women, and it’s arguable there was never a government that went to the polls on a platform of “change the age pension from a ‘close to terminal’ payment to a ‘twilight years’ payment.”  Thus, in theory at least, we have never agreed to create welfare for old people as an electorate.

      In practical terms, of course, it doesn’t matter.  Governments, whether by incompetence, wilful blindness, or deliberately, have not prepared for this impost on the welfare system.  In the US, it’s going to smash the hell out of their national debt, big as it is.  In Australia, everyone is keeping quiet about how much it’s actually going to cost when the baby boomers, who turned 65 this year, start collecting on this cash en masse.  This is why Howard started pushing for the retirement age to rise, simply so the government wouldn’t have to pay for it.  But note very carefully that not one Labor government has said peep to stopping the retirement age being lifted to 67.  They’re as responsible as the other side for it.

    • Fiddler says:

      09:26am | 01/10/11

      Think about all that old people contribute to our economy!! If it weren’t for old people all those blue hair dye factories would close. Could you look in the eye of a person who was just layed off from the clothing store for pants that go all the way up to your armpits and not feel a tear roll down your cheek?

      Reply

    • Katie says:

      09:42am | 01/10/11

      We need some more community education about this issue. 
      it really is a shame.  I wonder how people will treat me once I’m over 50?  This is the interesting point, we treat older people with mild contempt or plain ignore them, our children will learn from this example.

      Reply

    • Gratuitous Adviser says:

      10:11am | 01/10/11

      Yeh, Yeh.  We hear this every few days from someone in public office (I think Shorten was the last patronising soul, last week) so I did a Google search of news within Australia of (age discrimination prosecution) and found zero prosecutions. 
      I hope I am wrong so can anyone, including the Commissioner, confirm or deny? 
      This is funny result considering there are laws preventing age discrimination and what, zero prosecutions, impossible, there must not be a problem, let’s have an International Day of Older People, that will fix it. 
      Please advise how the writer will be measuring her success during her tenure other than by having a very nice job at 68 years old while my two cousins, ex “accountants”, are mid 50’s, made redundant and now can not find anything other than as a courier on survival money or the wife at work.  Not much of a retirement future for them.
      By the by:  onlooker is dead right and it all came from Competency Based Training (CBT) made popular by some Governments, the RAN and labour hire companies.

      Reply

    • Anubis says:

      09:02am | 03/10/11

      Age discrimination is usually hidden by phrases like “you were overqualified for the position”. It does not provide clear proof that you were discriminated on the basis of age, therefore, no prosecutions for ageism.

      message to employers - if I was overqualified for the position then why the hell would I apply for it. Not that many people are prepared to dumb themselves down for a job that they would not be satisfied in because they could not utilise their skills and knowledge.

    • acotrel says:

      10:35am | 01/10/11

      @onlooker
      A relative of mine is a lso a boiler maker.  I’m told that today the trick is employ a recent import, teach him a few basic s kills, and put him to work A few months ago a bridge in Melbourne was being widened. Oxy and acetylene gas lines were fed into a compartment under the road with no torch on the end, and pressurised.  Fortunately the union rep found it before the incident happened which would have involved the bridge traffic.  All smart stuff ?

      Reply

    • Robert S McCormick says:

      11:46am | 01/10/11

      Of course 50 is not too old to work, nor is 60 or 70, Susan but, as usual, we imported this idea from the USA..
      When I was shoved out I wanted something to do. I had decades in the Service Industry & Retail
      I did not want a high-powered, executive position, I had owned my own retail business & been in the Supermarket business.
      I applied to one of the two Major Supermarket Chains for one of the lowliest jobs of all in our Supermarkets: Night-Fill - going in after the stores are closed & filling the shelves - an oh-so-difficult job!!!
      Result? “Thank you for your application to join our Night-Fill Team. Unfortunately, due to LACK of Experience, you are not suitable”
      “Please note you cannot apply for any other employment with the XXXXX group for another 12 months.”
      On the other hand I applied for a job another supermarket chains ‘Petrol stations. I got the job, a contract (legal at the time) for 20 hours per week. They ended up rostering me 47.5 hours per week, every week-end, public holiday & evening shifts only. The reason they gave for rostering me so much & during those times was because “We know you will turn up - for the young one’s won’t!!!”
      I, though now in my 70s, would love to still be working but people simply won’t employ mature aged people.
      Ageism is very much alive & well

      Reply

    • marley says:

      12:08pm | 01/10/11

      Just a minor point.  The idea of a particular retirement age started in Germany, not the USA, when Bismarck introduced pensions for the over 70s.

    • Nick says:

      12:28pm | 01/10/11

      One of the problems facing older unemployed is the fact that job recruitment is now out sourced to employment agencies and the employer only gets to meet and interview people who have been screened by these agencies who are littered with staff who are usually younger than the children of anyone over 50.years old.Unfortunately especially in today’s society where superficiality reigns supreme and beauty and youth is a new religion ,older aged people are easily overlooked even when they meet all the required qualifications that fit the employers needs.Discrimination is part of the human psyche and is used subconsciously without us even knowing .We use it when choosing our partners and friends and in many every day circumstances.Perhaps employing more older age staff in recruitment agencies would help older age people finding work?

      Reply

    • Asrael says:

      12:36pm | 01/10/11

      One comment. The Public Service. almost everyone I work with is over 40.  An awful lot of them are over 50. Many joined the PS in their 20s and have been there ever since. They have survived purges, job slashing, numerous governments of different colours and all intend to work for another 15 years. Unlike private enterprise, they will be allowed to as what they know and can do, can’t be replaced easily at all.

      Reply

    • Mahhrat says:

      08:16am | 03/10/11

      +1 Asrael.

      It’s why I got in when I was 20, and why I’ll never leave.  I’m a very, very good public servant.  Only thing is, I went from Federal to State.  Need to get that reversed.

    • Rita says:

      01:19pm | 01/10/11

      I can relate to this article my husband was sacked after giving many years to a well known construction company in management .He had a stress related breakdown so there fore they thought that instead of supporting him through for a few weeks, as it was partly due to their practice of giving in to union demands and still wanting construction to beat the deadline. This after all his contracts had been finished on time all his professional life,some thing he was justly proud of.He and others who are now nearing 80 say if you want expertise and good old fashioned know how then just ask the oldies or go to the grave yard.

      Reply

    • Christa says:

      03:59pm | 01/10/11

      I never reveal my age when going for work. In fact my kids have to remind me how old I am - I stopped counting after 37. Thankfully I look younger than I am. what you see is what you get, when or where I was born shouldn’t matter.

      Reply

    • Fiona says:

      04:41pm | 01/10/11

      I’m so glad I’m a nurse. They need us and I see lots of older nurses. I think the median age is in the 40s. Most nurses I know have worked up to 65 and some well beyond. If you can still cope with ward work (which is not physically easy) then why not.
      My hubby’s a tradie for a big company that has done a small no of retrenchments lately. I shudder to think of what sort of job he’d end up in if it was him being retrenched.

      Reply

    • bec says:

      05:22pm | 01/10/11

      I’m just going to lie once I hit forty, if only on the job front. I am too young to worry about it now (26), but given that I still pass for a teenager and keep myself away from the things that age a face, I foresee myself being “thirty six” for as long as I need to.

      Reply

    • Condor says:

      05:55pm | 01/10/11

      Sometimes it’s about having the real skills and keeping them up-to-date. At my work the older ones couldn’t read a spreadsheet to save their lives or understand what computations other computer programs are making. They then trytto apply their knowledge of things on top of this without understanding the fundamentals. It is dangerous. Some of them don’t even know how to format a document or understand the difference between pdf and text.

      It’s like pulling teeth trying to explain this to them and whenever we get an older contractor they are just not as effective as younger ones.

      Similarly, their soft-skills don’t match current work processes. They don’t know how to conduct training, for example.

      Unfortunately, it becomes a safe presummption that all older people are like this.

      I think to prevent this by the time you hit 40 you need to find a job you can do until you retire and hang onto it.

      Reply

    • Fiona says:

      07:41am | 02/10/11

      Well let’s hope that you’re not in a position to hire people. Let’s face it, people can attend training for these skills. As for your last sentence. What you’re basically suggesting is to molder away in the one job for 20-30 years. Not cool. I’m guessing that you’re nowhere near 40. Tell us how you feel when you’re the older worker condor.

    • marley says:

      10:13am | 02/10/11

      Oh come off it, Condor.  A lot of people are just hitting their stride at the age of 40 - the best surgeons are that age or older, not 25 and still learning their trade. 

      Learning is a lifelong experience.  In my experience, there are people who like to keep learning, and there are people who are resistant - and age has nothing to do with it.  I know more than a few 20 somethings who have learned very little since leaving school - so yes, their technologically more adept than their seniors, but they’re not learning anything new and in 10 years time will be way behind the curve.  I also know plenty of 50 something who keep on learning new things - and I know which I’d rather have working for me.

      As for training, well, I’ve done a fair bit of that myself - and I can tell you that there’s a lot more to training than just having the latest technological tools to hand.  the older and more experienced you are, the better handle you have on your material, and the better you can deal with the assortment of personalities you find in most groups of trainees. Younger trainers, in my experience, can struggle when it comes to actually getting new concepts across - and that’s their fault, not the fault of the people being trained.

    • Jane says:

      11:30am | 02/10/11

      You have hired the wrong people and blame age. Perhaps you need to learn recruitment skills.

    • Condor says:

      01:44pm | 02/10/11

      Fiona
      I do a lot of hiring. Also, I’m pretty close to 40 and it’s what I plan on doing. I might even get a job in the public service and take a pay cut. At least I get more super (15%) and a constant paycheque no matter if my job disappears or not.

      marley
      That certainly hasn’t been my experience. Most people nearing 50 in my organisation are lucky to know how to turn on a computer let alone some of the more complex applications that we use like MS Word and Excel, unless they’re in the IT department, of course. The younger people are eager to learn and usually know it anyway. They know they have to because they are the ones using the applications. Also, the older people’s presentation skills leave a lot to be desired. They know how to speak but they don’t know how to teach. The best are those in their 30s. They have 10-15 years experience but are young enough to know how to use and learn all the tools.

      Jane
      You can’t test a person’s knowledge of simple Excel use in an interview nor do we have the time and resources to do so in recruitment (or after, for that matter).

    • marley says:

      03:02pm | 02/10/11

      Condor -  If your bright, competent young trainers consistently fail to train the older folk in the basics of using a computer, you might want to ask yourself just how good they really are at training.  Good trainers have to be able to get information across in a way that is meaningful to the trainees, not just to the trainer.

    • Anubis says:

      09:09am | 03/10/11

      @ Condor your comments are really a reflection on your workplace and their lack of relevant staff training/improvement opportunities. I am in my fifties and, quite frankly, my computer skills would probably put you, and a lot of your peers, to shame. I have made the effort to stay up to date with technological trends and, thanks to working for employers who actually care about their businesses have also received many company based opportunities to improve my skills.

      The comments in your post are indicative of the train of thought that produces the examples af age discrimination that this article is about.

    • MadKat of Melbourne says:

      01:02pm | 03/10/11

      Condor “I think to prevent this by the time you hit 40 you need to find a job you can do until you retire and hang onto it.” - you are kidding right ?? - that’s a pretty small minded comment -

      “I might even get a job in the public service and take a pay cut. At least I get more super (15%) and a constant paycheque no matter if my job disappears or not.” - problem here is that some people are born with ambition, but obviously you weren’t - this definitely isn’t for everyone - drive me bananas -

      “You can’t test a person’s knowledge of simple Excel” - yes you can - there are packages you can buy - they use them in employment agencies - gee young people these days know nothing about computers -

      “more complex applications that we use like MS Word and Excel” - complex !! You don’t actually classify these as complex do you -

      I think the problem where you work is that they are hiring people that aren’t qualified for the roles not that they’re too old. Last GenY EA that got hired for me couldn’t use Excel or Word and loved to sit and stream Neighbours onto her computer instead of doing filing - I’d rather hire someone older that is actually serious and responsible about their job -

    • NESLIHAN KUROSAWA says:

      05:52am | 02/10/11

      Hi Susan,

      It all depends on our expectations & limitations, whether it happens to be physically or emotionally!!  Are you actually talking about working physically??  If your ultimate dream is to have babies & stay at home mum, then I am certain we are not start looking for a job at the age of 45!! 

      For me personally, using our memory, language skills, abilities actually manage to keep us young emotionally & physically!!  Also when we actually feel good about our selves, it shows on our faces & nothing else seems to matter!!  I am not just talking about physical beauty & staying young!!

      I have personally always thought happy, productive, positive & helpful people always lead fulfilled lives & what ever they touch seems to turn into gold!!  Age is no barrier when it comes to working for pleasure or economical reasons!! 

      I am guessing that it is so much better to work by using our special abilities, so that it actually becomes enjoyable as well!!  My role model has always been my great grand mother who lived well into age 100!!  She was intelligent, happy human being who had compassion for every one, especially children!!

      Also another point that I am trying to make is that in our daily lives we do not use our brain power to its fullest potential, anyway!!  Aging might affect our ability & change the way we think about ourselves!!  However, it is all about being healthy, happy & mature at any age!!  Best regards to your editors.

      Reply

    • Utopia Boy says:

      05:04pm | 02/10/11

      I can’t wait til I’m still working at 50 / 60 / 70 years of age. It fills me with delight to know governments are happy that I’ll fall over dead at my place of employment as opposed to resting comfortably at home.
      Why do people want to keep on working?
      It’s not human nature to do so, and the “nothing more satisfying than a hard day’s work done well” is a crap throw away line invented by business owners during the industrial revolution.
      I for one would throw down my tools at the first possible opportunity, and never work another day again if the opportunity ever arose.

      I prefer this philosophy, as proposed by Bon Scott of AC / DC fame:
      You can stick your nine to five livin’
      And your collar and your tie
      And stick your moral standards
      ‘Cause it’s all a dirty lie
      You can stick your golden handshake
      And you can stick your silly rules
      And all the other shit
      That they teach to kids in school
      ‘Cause I ain’t no fool

      Reply

    • DonE says:

      04:37pm | 16/10/11

      That’s the most refreshing viewpoint I’ve read so far on this.

      We are mere ‘fodder’ to grease the wheels of capitalism and consumerism.

      To hell with work. It’s a bore. Anyone who say’s otherwise is deceiving themselves.

      Read Tom Hodgkinson’s books, ‘How to be idle’ & ‘How to be free’ to get a real understanding of the lie that is fed us from cradle to the grave, that work is somehow meaningful and (as our politicians like to regulally tell us) ‘Gives us Dignity’. What a load of bulltwang that really is.

      On ya Bon Scott. RIP

    • Anubis says:

      08:57am | 03/10/11

      Ah, the old fob off of “You are overqualified’. I started getting that one in my early 40s. Usually used when the applicant is seen as a threat to the interviewer. I am very skilled in my chosen profession and have continued to increase my qualifications (at 51 I am currently enrolled in another post graduate course directly related to my profession).

      As a contract worker I have probably been the subject of more interviews than most full time employees will see during their entire career and it is becoming more obvious every time that permanent employees are generally the lowest common denominator in a lot of businesses. Employers nowdays are reliant on competent knowledge and advanced skills provided by temp workers. The unfortunate side effect of this is that the selection of these workers is generally done by the less skilled permanent employees who feel threatened by the advanced knowledge and skills that most contactors possess.

      Reply

    • Utopia Boy says:

      01:08pm | 03/10/11

      @ Anubis,
      I am one of the guys doing the hiring as one of my roles, and I ALWAYS hire people who I think will make my life easier (I will, after all, be their manager).

    • Kika says:

      11:46am | 03/10/11

      In my team we have a pretty even split between the young (<33 years) and the old (33+>). The eldest person in my team has worked in the industry for years and is absolutely superb in picking up new skills, procedures and is as adaptable as the rest of us. The other, who has worked in this company for 30 years plus downright refuses to learn anything, relies on everyone else’s knowledge, listening and understanding and asks us to do everything new for him and gets shtty when the younger crew get opportunities to advance then he does. He relies on what he learned maybe 30 years ago and has refused to be adaptable and to learn anything new at all and that’s why he’s still doing basic jobs. Luckily he has a few friends around the place to make sure he isn’t wrapped over the knuckles about only just realising an important procedure we need to do to keep APRA and ASIC happy…

      A lot of mature age workers hate being managed by younger people. This is so true. They don’t like it when younger people show them how to do things or that they have more knowledge in an area than they do. The arrogance is part of the reason why they often get overlooked in jobs because sometimes employers assume that the mature age worker won’t respect the authority of a younder manager or their processes etc.

      I think if you can show that you are up to date with your computer skills, are easily adaptable and can change your ways of thinking and doing things easily I’m sure you can be as employable as anyone else. These sorts of skills (particularly your computer skills… the guy I was speaking of before can hardly type up and print out a letter)  are highly desirable and if you have them you should be fine.

      The problem is trying to convince your prospective employer of that! It’s the same sort of thing as convicing your employer that even though you are a woman of child bearing years you do not intend to use their company’s generous maternity leave scheme as a tool for your personal family planning goals…

      Reply

    • marley says:

      02:15pm | 03/10/11

      I learned a long time ago that there are two kinds of people in the work world - the guys who have 15 or 20 years of experience, and the guys who have one year of experience, repeated 15 or 20 times.  You want people who learn and build on their experience, not people who arrive with skills and never improve them.  And that’s not a factor of age but of attitude.

    • Jasmine says:

      01:21pm | 03/10/11

      I got my current job when I was about to turn 60. I didn’t give my age and the interviewers didn’t ask. I intend to work as long as I can, as I enjoy the job and can perform it easily.

      Do not give your age in your applications. I believe it is unlawful for employers to ask, at least until after you are hired. Don’t go overboard in trying to look young (can have the reverse effect).

      Reply

    • Robert Smissen Of rural SA says:

      02:19pm | 03/10/11

      My mother worked until she was 78 & they closed her job, my Dad worked until his 80s doing hard manual labour & would still be with us if he hadn’t been doing BMX stunts without a helmet

      Reply

    • Nicholas Steel says:

      03:12pm | 05/10/11

      The reason age discrimination exists comes down to money. A young person has a much higher job turnover than someone over 45. Hence if recruiters place more young people they create more points at which they pick up commissions. It’s part of the culture of the recruitment industry - you won’t see it memorialised in an email or mission statement.

      The effect of placing people based upon their (younger) age is disasterous. The telecommunications ombudsman receives 2,000 complaints a day, the electricity ombudsman receives some hundreds of complaints a day. Auditor General reports detail chaos and an absence of control at all levels of government. I could go on but I think you get the picture.

      Age discrimination laws should work on a standard of proof used in asset seizure laws. If an organisation has no hires over the age of 45, then this is definitely a stellar indication that they practise age discrimination and a prosecution should proceed.

      Reply

    • DonE says:

      04:56pm | 16/10/11

      It seems these days we have a ‘danger period’. On reaching say 50, should you lose your job, you have 15 years of unemployment & uncertainty until you reach 65 and qualify for the pension.

      Just what the hell are folk in that age group expected to do for the remaining 15 years ?

      Might as well make the retirement age 50 as many of them will be on the dole anyway.

      Lets face it. Most companies won’t employ anyone over 40 these days.

      People who turn 50 can start to have health issues too. That’s a sad fact regardless of what we are led to believe about the new race of ‘Super Fit’ oldies.

      Reply
 
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