Age Bias at Work

WM People

Nearly half of over-50s think their age is a disadvantage when applying for a job.

Mandy Garner

Mandy Garner is a freelance journalist and editor. She was the former managing editor of WM People and is a communications officer at the University of Cambridge. She has experience working in a range of roles, including senior broadcast journalist at the BBC, former features editor of Times Higher Education and researcher for the writers organisation International PEN.

This article by Mandy Garner first appeared on WorkingWise.co.uk on 30 September 2019. WorkingWise.co.uk has been acquired by 55/Redefined.

Four out of ten of over-50s think their age is a disadvantage when applying for a job and one in five think people see them as less capable due to their age, according to a recent report.

The report, ‘Becoming an age-friendly employer‘, was published by the Centre for Ageing Better and Business in the Community and was based on a poll of more than 1100 employees over 50.

It shows that, since turning 50, 14% of over-50 employees believe they have been turned down for a job due to their age and nearly one in five (18%) have hidden or considered hiding their age in job applications.

Ageism in the Workplace

While 40% of employees over 50 think their workplace has a policy related to preventing age discrimination, nearly half of these people (47%) say it has made no difference.

The Centre for Ageing Better is urging employers to adopt five steps to create an age-friendly workplace and to ensure they are ready for a workforce where older people are likely to have to work for longer.

Government figures show that already nearly one in three workers is over 50. The five steps include providing flexible working, actively targeting candidates of all ages, providing health support, encouraging career development at all ages and creating an age-positive culture.

Number of Older Workers Rising

Patrick Thomson, Senior Programme Manager, Centre for Ageing Better, said: “The number of older workers continues to rise, with over 10 million over 50s in work last year. With job vacancies and numbers in work both at record levels, employers must act now to attract and retain skilled older workers or they will fall behind their competitors.

“Our report sets out practical steps that any employer can take to improve workplace flexibility, create an age-positive culture and boost the candidate pool of older workers.

“Employers risk losing their most experienced people and face labour and skills shortages. Every employer needs to become more age-friendly and take steps today to ensure they have a workforce for the future.”