Comment
Older unemployment a major issue
It’s time the Government got serious about promoting employment opportunities for older people, says Veronica Sheen, national policy officer for the Council on the Ageing.
It’s a familiar story. You take a redundancy package, expecting to have another job within a few weeks, only to discover that if you’re over 50 you’re on the scrapheap.
The Council on the Ageing (COTA) has been talking with a group of older people who are looking for work. The feedback we get is that unemployment is shaping up as an issue of considerable social, economic and political significance.
The Government seems finally to have come to the same conclusion. It recently announced an inquiry into older workers to be undertaken by a federal parliamentary committee chaired by Dr Brendan Nelson.
COTA will be contributing to the inquiry. We’ll be suggesting that the Government develops a strategic plan to promote job opportunities for older people. Changing the present negative attitudes to older people in the workforce, and countering age discrimination should be key elements in such a strategy.
While not all of the people in our discussion group have experienced age discrimination, many do feel that their age is quite a barrier. Being told that you have "too much experience" can deliver a subtle message that you’re too old. Continually receiving no reply to your job applications is a blunter way of telling you the same thing.
A surprising number of people had no idea about Government services which may help them find a job. They simply didn’t know where to go. Others reported discouraging experiences with job network case management and lack of opportunities for re-training. In general, few felt happy with what the Government was offering.
So what would help, we asked.
Special training schemes for older workers, perhaps. Schemes which don’t just concentrate on technical skills, but help you to become a "salesman" of your own talents. Maybe an agency specialising in employment of mature age groups. An examination of the whole concept of "retirement" and it’s relevance in the new millennium.
Some people recognised the need to create their own employment, rather than expect someone else to take them on. But they need help doing this. Others wanted recognition of the fact that work means much more than a pay cheque - that job satisfaction and social contact are important facets of employment.
All agreed that - somehow - we have to change the mind set that allows so much valuable experience to be wasted.
