Joe Hockey in Adelaide. ‘It is hugely important … giving people the chance to work longer’. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt Source: News Corp Australia
The Weekend Australian of May 2-3 reported on the Federal Government’s plans to boost the workforce participation rate of older workers while at the same time cutting the deficit.
The article went on to announce that Federal Cabinet had agreed to make faster payments of up to $10,000 to employers who hire older Australians as part of an overhaul of job programs to help tens of thousands of people back into the workforce.
A separate budget measure will give people approaching retirement a new incentive to stay at work for a few more years in the knowledge that they could collect a bonus when they choose to claim the Age Pension.
To read the full Weekend Australian article, click here.
Accelerating the rate of payments for companies hiring older workers is a strong message for 3 reasons.
- Obviously it’s an incentive for more companies to hire older workers and that improves the employment prospects for people over 50 who are looking for a job.
- It sends a message to employers in general that it’s a good idea to hire mature workers.
- More publicity will be given to age discrimination in the workplace.
Joe Hockey has been talking about the problems of age discrimination and indicating that it’s not acceptable. A recent report published by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission gives the Treasurer plenty of alarming ammunition. It mentions that 50% of older people felt that they had been discriminated against when seeking work. This will come as no surprise to anyone over 50 who has been applying for work. According to the Human Rights Commission this entrenched discrimination is costing the economy about $10 billion a year. Money we clearly can’t afford.
While encouraging older people to work longer offers benefits for both individuals and the economy generally, it’s going to take a lot of effort to change the embedded age discrimination that has made getting a job so much harder for older workers. In spite of plenty of research proving the benefits of hiring older workers, many managers, employment agencies and HR Departments still believe that older people struggle to perform as well as younger employees. This is one of those silly generalities that should never be treated seriously. Undoubtedly some older workers are slower performers, while others would leave much younger workers in their tracks. Many older workers offer wisdom and experience that only age can bring. We are all different and smart employers should forget stereotypes and focus on the individual skills and attitudes that both younger and older applicants offer.
Finally, reluctant employers should remember that baby boomers are the most successful generation of protestors that the world has ever seen. It would be a pity if they had to demonstrate yet again, how good they are at demanding changes in situations that they don’t like.