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Marina Whelen received some bad news last year. Her employer was forced to lay off staff, and she was among them.
A senior PA for 18 years in a small publishing firm, she decided to look for a new position, and re-entered a job market that had radically changed. Marina was well qualified, with a wealth of experience, but quickly found discouragement at every turn.
Some employers were concerned she would become quickly frustrated in positions she was overqualified for. She was offered salaries far beneath what she considered reasonable, or found interviewers simply not interested. Marina experienced an unstated but apparent bias against her because of her age.
Employment data reveals the only category of ‘discouraged jobseekers’ that rose in 2003, was that of mature aged workers (45 and over), with drops in all other age groups.
The latest ABS figures tell us 61% of job seekers over 60 rate being ‘considered too old by employers’ as the number one reason for giving up looking for work.
Mature age job seekers like Marina that return to the job market often find themselves forced to take on part time or casual employment after an unsuccessful search for jobs in their field. Many admit defeat, underselling their skills in order obtain lower paid jobs after finding themselves locked out of the workforce by employer biases.
The frustrating reality is that mature age jobseekers can often be the perfect candidates. They have the lowest rates of sick leave of any age category and can often bring a wealth of experience to a role. They are in many ways likely to be a more stable, more reliable employee.
While bias exists for many today, the fact that our workforce is aging is a certainty, and employers ignore it to their detriment. Drake International estimate 85% of all workforce growth will be supplied by people aged 45+ by 2012, up from 32% in 1992.
Our labour market already has severe labour shortages in many skilled trades including education, health, automotive and transport and distribution sectors. Those employers who do not open their eyes to a more balanced approach to recruiting will increasingly find recruiting candidates very difficult indeed. |