Rising Stars of the Workforce

Deb Thurley

Listening to ABC radio today and Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Susan Ryan talking to Leon Compton about age discrimination and how difficult it can be for older workers to re-enter the workforce I listened with interest; after all this is a favourite subject of mine. So it seems you can be valued as an older worker if you are already employed but it is very hard for the older worker who is trying to get back in.

According to Australia’s Age Discrimination Commissioner, the reluctance of Australian employers to hire older workers is costing the country about $10 billion each year.
Susan Ryan says bias against workers over 50 is endemic and she fears it is much worse than previously thought.

She used an address to the National Press Club to announce a new study into the prevalence of age discrimination in Australian workplaces.

For many of us over 50 we don’t consider ourselves old and if you are anything like me you will feel like your time has just arrived. Without the dependency of children you are now free to follow the ambitions you did not pursue when you were younger. A lot depends on your attitude and your approach to life but many of my baby boomer friends feel just like me except they may be pursuing travel.

Over the next 50 years the aging will transform the dynamics of Australia’s population as the baby boomer generation (those born between 1946 and 1965) reach their twilight years. The number of people aged between 65 and 84 years is expected to more than double while the population aged 75 or more years is expected to rise by 4 million from 2012 to 2060. The impact of this shift will place pressure on employers. Currently 40% of the workforce is older than 45, 15% are aged between 15 & 24 so there are about 2.6 workers aged 45 and older for every worker younger than 25. There will therefore be a sharp drop to the new entrants to the workforce for the decade 2020-2030.

Baby boomers would under current conditions be retiring from the workplace and taking with them long acquired skills and experience. The irony is that participation rates for mature-aged workers have been lower as it seems the more skilled, experienced and knowledgeable you are as an employee, the more difficult it becomes to attain and retain employment. So “something has gotta give”.

Senator Eric Abetz Mercury September 6 blamed the slow uptake of employment programs such as the $10,000 incentive to hire any workers over 50, on a difficult jobs market and depressed economic circumstances, a result he says, is also reflective of the legacy left by the previous Labor Governments at State and Federal level.

So the conundrum is that more efficient workforce structures are needed that will allow mature-aged workers to contribute their skills, experience and knowledge within the workforce for as long as possible, while job availablity in general seems to be declining and while according to Age Discrimination Commissioner Susan Ryan, there are still too many Australian companies unwilling to hire people over the age of 50. This occurs despite the presence of age discrimination laws.

According to an Insights Report: A Golden Opportunity – Why Mature –Aged Workers Are the Rising Stars of the Contingent Workforce – “We need to stop treating vast sections of our population as though inability, low commitment and uselessness kicks in at a certain age”.

Different cultures have different attitudes and practices around aging and death, and these cultural perspectives can have a huge effect on our experience of getting older. Psychologist Erik Erickson argued that the Western fear of aging keeps us from living full lives. “Lacking a culturally viable ideal of old age, our civilization does not really harbor a concept of the whole of life.´

In Korea elders are highly respected. Chinese children care for their parents in old age. In India, elders are the head of the family.In the African-American community, death is seen as an opportunity to celebrate life. In ancient Rome, elders were a precious resource.

So over the course of their careers older workers having accumulated extensive skills, knowledge, practice, intellectual property and connections, mature aged workers should be recognised as a valuable segment of the workforce although historically under-utilised.

Companies such as Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan are an example of a company that has recognised the need to tap into the strengths of senior workers to supplement the skills of the younger generation. The rigours of full-time employment may no longer appeal to the mature workers but there are great opportunities to internally consult or supervise and with flexible working arrangements mature employees can remain effective contributors for longer and provide much needed mentoring and training to younger workers. Multi-generational workforces that boast a range of skills and outcomes represent a confluence of opportunity.

Mature employees particularly women can be at their most productive and most effective in the workforce because they are at a time in their lives free from family commitment and distractions meaning that their application to the job is steadfast. So let’s see age-friendly recruitment practices that widen the applicant pool to help you find the best person. For employers this represents a golden opportunity whereby mature-aged workers offer irreplaceable experience and are the Rising Stars of the Contingent Workforce.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-17/bias-against-older-workers-quite-frightening/5750006

Some details about the writer – Candidate for Clarence City Council elections October 2014

Former employee of 10 years with the Clarence City Council working in Asset Management, Corporate Governance and Finance

Former Eastern Shore Small Business Owner of 10 years

Debra holds a:-

Diploma of Business
Diploma of Business Management
Diploma of Human Resources
Graduate Diploma of Employment Relations
Completing Masters of Employment Relations 2014

Board Member of Business East (advisory and consultancy for small business)
Member of Women’s Network Australia (supporting women in business)
Deb Thurley, Candidate for Clarence City Council elections October 2014