The Benefit System, Welfare to Work

– Ageism is a barrier to employment

Ageism is a major barrier to employment.

Age UK have predicted that hundreds of thousands of over 50’s could end up as long term unemployed concluding that:

  • A large number of over 50’s will be added to the employment pool when they are taken off Incapacity Benefit and put onto Employment Support Allowance (ESA).
  • There is compelling evidence suggesting that the over 50’s are being actively discriminated against, by recruiters.
  • 300,000 over 50 year olds confirmed that they had been refused a job because   of their age in the last five years.

Age Concern has also estimated that an additional 250,000 mature people could be added to the job market, in the coming years, due to changes in personal economic circumstances.

Certainly from the available data jobs are being created by the private sector but the crucial question must be ‘What type of jobs are they? The reason this question is important is that employers are saying an increasing number of first time job claimants including graduates appear not to have the basic skills needed, and yet there is an untapped pool of expertise in the over 50 age group. These people who have the skills are being expected to wash down tables, and fill shelves.

Experiments in both America and Europe have shown that mature people are important resources to help the younger generations become more effective at achieving the skills needed by employers in areas like communication, social and basic reading and arithmetic. Perhaps this presently neglected group could be used in similar projects within for example the Big Society? Equally important may be the need to introduce tough new laws to prevent employers from discriminating against over 50’s, but there are concerns being expressed that further legislation would prove ineffective.

David Healey

Project Support Officer

READ: Age UK

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