Most retirees, especially those who would still like to be working, believe employers harbour an ageist approach to hiring older workers.
According to research from retirement specialist Just Group, which surveyed over 1,000 retired and semi-retired individuals over 55, 55 per cent perceive employers as less open to hiring older workers.
Around 72 per cent of retirees aged 55 and above who would prefer to continue working, and who are therefore more likely to be directly facing unfavourable attitudes from employers, believe that companies have an ageist recruitment policy.
Nearly a third or 31 per cent of retirees aged 55 and over said that they believed companies viewed older workers as less motivated and productive.
A fifth, or 19 per cent, indicated that discrimination based on age was less problematic for employers than other forms of workplace discrimination, while over a quarter, or 27 per cent, claimed it was because younger workers were less expensive.
Additionally, the study found that over-55s believed that employers’ perceptions that implementing working methods that accommodate older workers is too demanding (9 per cent of respondents), or that older workers are more demanding (3 per cent) and prone to upset workplace culture (3 per cent) are contributing factors to the issue.
Just Group group communications director Stephen Lowe says: “The government is keen to encourage some of the 2.7 million economically inactive people aged 55-64 back into the workforce but our research suggests this could be tricky when many retirees believe they aren’t getting a fair crack of the whip with employment opportunities.
“Those who are still interested in, or would like to be, working felt particularly aggrieved and perceive hiring practises of many employers as fundamentally ageist and tilted towards younger workers. Fair access to the labour market in later life is important because it allows over 55s the opportunity to get back on track should they face an unexpected life event that forces them out of the labour market.”