Past Their ‘Sell By’ Date?

A survey by The Age and Employment Network (TAEN) compares the impact of the recession on older jobseekers. With 360,000 people over 50 looking for work, the figures show that 47% were made redundant from Oct 08 to May 09, compared with 32% in the previous period.

The perception of ageist attitudes is very high: 72% of respondents say that employer see them as too old, compared with 63% before the recession. Nearly half (48%) felt they were seen as ‘too experienced’ or ‘over qualified’.

Significantly, 45% felt that age discrimination legislation had not helped older people find work, and 55% said they had been victims of age discrimination.  Individual comments made it clear that people think that the law relating to recruitment is impossible to police.

Another concern is the emphasis placed by employers on qualifications rather than skills and experience.