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Just over half (56%) of HR professionals say they are open to recruiting people aged 50-64 to ‘a large extent’ while 18% say either that they would be open to recruiting from the same age cohort ‘to a small extent’ or ‘not at all’.
AHRI CEO Sarah McCann-Bartlett describes these attitudes as disappointing and says organisations are doing themselves a disservice by not considering older workers - particularly at a time when Australia is experiencing historically high levels of job vacancies.
The report found that the reluctance by some HR professionals to recruit older workers contradicted the lived experience of employing them, with many reporting no difference between older and younger workers in terms of job performance, concentration, ability to adapt to change, energy levels, and creativity.
Respondents also recognised the advantages of older workers when it came to coping with stress, attendance, reliability, awareness, commitment, and loyalty, while others highlighted younger workers’ physical capability, ambition, and proficiency in using technology as positive attributes.
Australian Human Rights Commission’s Age Discrimination Commissioner, The Hon Dr Kay Patterson AO said "This contradiction leads to lost opportunities all round. It means employers lose access to a ready-made talent pool, and older people who are willing to work lose the chance to contribute their talents to the workforce, life satisfaction and financial security.
“Many older workers can offer the knowledge, skills, and wisdom that businesses are currently seeking. Employers just need to shift their perspective, trust the data and stop buying into myths about older workers.”