A new report suggests there is bias against older and younger workers
Australia's Age Discrimination Commissioner has called on employers to foster inclusive workplaces after a new report showed organisations are hesitant to employ older workers.
New research from the Australian Human Rights Commission and Australian HR Institute (AHRI) showed that only 56% of HR professionals are open to hiring workers aged 50 to 64 to a "large extent."
This drops to 28% for those 65 and older, while 18% said they would not hire at all from this age group.
The report also found that 20% of employers believe their recruitment practices at work negatively impact older workers.
"Employers need to support inclusive workplaces, where competency isn't assessed against age or career stage," said Robert Fitzgerald, Age Discrimination Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission, in a statement.
Employers' hesitation to hire older workers comes amid a "notable change" in who they consider to be older professionals.
According to the report, around a quarter of employers consider professionals who are between the ages of 51 and 55 (24%), 56 and 60 (23%), as well as 61 and 65 (25%) to be older workers.
"This marks a notable change from earlier surveys, where the age range of 66–70 figured more prominently, suggesting that employers are increasingly viewing workers as older at younger ages," the report found.
Older vs younger workers
The report attributed employers' hesitation to employ older workers to prevailing biases.
While older workers are considered to be more loyal (74%) and reliable (62%), younger workers are seen as better at using technology (79%) and more physically capable (59%).
Employers also believe younger workers have more career ambition (60%) and possess higher energy levels (52%) than older professionals.
However, younger workers scored less when it comes to loyalty, reliability, and being able to cope with stress, according to the report.
More than half of employers also considered younger workers' lack of experience as a barrier to recruiting them (57%). Other reasons include high salary expectations (43%) and a lack of qualifications (24%).
"What we're seeing is bias at both ends of the age range. Sadly, this undermines diversity of thought and productivity," Fitzgerald said.
Employers' reluctance comes despite 55% of the respondents saying they are experiencing recruitment difficulties.
Sarah McCann-Bartlett, CEO of the Australian HR Institute, said there is a "clear economic imperative" to tap into the full potential of the available labour pool amid a tight market.
"That means building inclusive practices that support employees at every stage of their careers," the CEO said.
Fitzgerald added that having age-diverse teams can be advantageous to businesses because they are better at solving problems.
"Providing equal opportunity for people of all ages to remain engaged in meaningful work can enhance productivity, while also helping close skills gaps," Fitzgerald said.
