Mature workers again in demand
Around 50% of public sector employers and 40% of private sector bosses are happy to employ people over 55 today when job hunting becomes difficult.
A study by a Monash University team of 600 large organisations contradicted previous studies which found that there was a strong current of institutionalised ageism in the Australian workplace that resulted in a higher than expected level of mature age unemployment.
Professor Phillip Taylor said that it was the first time he had seen such willingness to employ older workers.
“We had expected that, on the back of the economic downturn, that employers would be less favourable towards older workers. This is a significant and surprising shift.”
However Charmaine Crowe of the Australian Pensioners and Superannuants Association said that her organisation encountered many mature workers who struggled to find work regardless of their skills.
“I’m hopeful that attitudes are changing but I think we’ve got a long way to go,” she said.
