Ageist attitudes in workplace
The negative attitudes of recruiters, employers, work colleagues and even family and friends are quietly undermining efforts to raise Australia’s mature age participation rates, a new report released last week reveals.
The negative attitudes of recruiters, employers, work colleagues and even family and friends are quietly undermining efforts to raise Australia’s mature age participation rates, a new report released last week reveals.
The National Seniors report, Age Discrimination in the Labour Market: Experiences and Perceptions of Mature Age Australians, draws from a federal government commissioned population-weighted survey of 3,007 people aged 45 to 74 years conducted in 2012.
It finds over a third (36%) of people aged 45 plus have experienced age discrimination in their search for employment.
Within their existing workplaces, 13% say they have been denied training, promotion and equal pay while suffering derogatory comments and feeling “forced out” on the basis of age.
Disturbingly, 31% of retirees said the mere perception that employers considered them “too old” had greatly influenced their decision to leave the workforce altogether.
National Seniors chief executive, Michael O’Neill, said the results showed efforts to raise Australia’s mature age workforce participation rates run counter to a tide of discrimination both perceived and real.
“Reach a certain age and the doors to training, promotion and even that second interview start closing,” Mr O’Neill said.
“Workplace age discrimination is insipid, very difficult to prove and quietly undermining efforts to increase Australia’s mature-age participation rates,” he said.
“Losing your job at midlife and then being dismissed over and again as having little more to offer in the search for another is emotionally devastating,” he said.
“With 15 to 20 years taken off their savings accumulation phase these older Australians will eventually find themselves consigned to living a hand to mouth retirement.
“Governments can lead in crushing out-dated attitudes by dismantling their own age limits across workers compensation, redundancy payments, superannuation and income protection,” he said.
An earlier National Seniors report estimated Australia loses $11 billion a year in not using those workers aged 55 plus who want to work.
The report’s authors are Dr Tim Adair, Dr Jeromey Temple, Lea Ortega and Dr Ruth Williams of the National Seniors Productive Ageing Centre.
