If you are in Britain, 40+ and just lost your job, chances are that you will end up being frustrated finding another.
According to official figures, nearly 3 million people over 45 are without paid work there. The trend to shun older employees is increasingly gaining momentum with media, IT and advertising industry are the worst in discriminating against older workers. And, this is all happening even though the population is rapidly aging in Britain, have longer life expectancy and new laws in place to fight age discrimination in workplace.
Giving ‘age old stereotypes’ as one of the main reasons behind ageism problem, Hilary Metcalfe, senior research fellow at National institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) said;
It’s largely a mix of people being discouraged through ageism and others unable to work due to ill health, Longstanding stereotypes lie behind the ageism problem. These stereotypes have led to many employers seeing older candidates as only good for ‘being there’ jobs such as door people or receptionists. Relatively low paid and unskilled.
The stereotypes include:
a) Inability to adapt to new technology,
b) Lacking creativity and flexibility,
c) Hard to train and
d) Too cautious for the cut and thrust of modern business.
So, what are the chances that these stereotypes will go? It is not so easy. People’s mindsets have changed with the times. Also, new rules will be enforced from Oct 1 that will ban age discrimination to people up to the age of 65. Under the new laws, firms will not be able to deny an interview, refuse a job offer, deny training or sack someone under 65 on the grounds of age.
Such strict measures are just a part of the solution, it can’t be the solution itself. Firms must collectively make a conscious effort to see the merits of having older people in their companies when it comes to boosting the economy as a whole. Only a change in mindset will rid UK workers of this problem.
Via: BBCNews.com
