Older Workers Face Age Discrimination, Survey Finds

An online survey conducted by The Age and Employment Network (TAEN) has found that just 10% of workers aged fifty and above claimed never to have faced discrimination due to their age when seeking employment, and that only 13% felt that age discrimination legislation introduced in 2006 had proved effective in helping older people to find work.

The survey questioned 370 jobseekers aged fifty and over on their experiences in the job market. Almost two-thirds said that employers saw their age as a barrier to employment, with 42% indicating that they were seen as over-qualified or as having too much experience for most positions.

The survey also found that:

• 60% of respondents felt that employers were too concerned with qualifications rather than skills and work experience.