A lifetime of experience – older jobseekers

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ViewsFebruary 20th, 2015

The National Assembly’s current enquiry into Employment Opportunities for Older People is a welcome move to assess current barriers facing older people.

Working Links has considerable experience of the labour market and older people. Since 2000 we have helped over 40,000 people into work in Wales and in doing so we have first -hand experience of the barriers which are apparent.  Of more than 45,000 people across Wales that we have been working with on Work Programme, 22% are under 25, 59% between 25 and 50 and 19% are over 50 years of age. Of the 35,400 customers that have completed their 2 years on programme, 39% of all customers started work but only 24% for the older age-group. However, of the 1607 older customers who have started a job, 1112 (69%) remain in work 3 months later. This compares to 67% of the general Work Programme participants.

Health issues often accompany us as we get older, sometimes connected to a disability, but often merely due to ageing. In fact, 40% of our older customers are in receipt of a health-related benefit and this is equally true for both men and women. This means that certain kinds of work are ruled-out.

Many older jobseekers also have informal caring responsibilities either for their grandchildren’s after-school childcare or those with elderly parents “become the parent”. Such responsibilities can be restrictive in their search for work.

Benefit changes are also an issue. Until 6 April 2012, there was a 50+ element to Working Tax Credit. This allowed a person of fifty years or over to take 16 hours’ work and to access a wage top-up which lasted 12 months. In 2012, this changed and a person would need to work 30 hours (if not a single parent; had a disability; or were more than 60 years of age). For some, full-time work is simply not an option.

Many of our 50+ customers have had long periods in a skilled trade or semi-skilled job where they have commanded wages upwards of £8-£9 per hour, awarded due to their loyalty or their industry-relevant skills and experience. In the current economic climate, and also due to the fact that many jobs are paid the national minimum wage, the available jobs are now paid at a much lower rate and so seem much less attractive to older people.

When we analyse where our customers find work, our 50+ customers are reflective of all our Work Programme customers in the sectors that they choose. Aligned to this is potential age discrimination. It is not easy to determine how much age-discrimination is real and how much is perceived. Our older jobseekers have reported that, following redundancy, they experience a loss of confidence and a feeling that no-one will want to employ them. In a highly-competitive market, a jobseeker will inevitably undergo many rejections and perceived failures in the job-seeking process. This is reinforced by research conducted by Spring Personnel and Elizabeth Hunt who found that 63% of UK companies had no plan to actively recruit the over 50 age group and 80% of people working in the IT industry are under 45.

In our evidence to the Committee enquiry, we reflected on all of these barriers but also made suggestions to how things might work differently.

For example, the Welsh Government’s Older People in Wales Strategy sets a low priority to specific employment and skills provision for Older People who want to work. And – while not wanting to denigrate the success of Welsh Government Employment Programmes such as Jobs Growth Wales and Apprenticeships – they are currently directed at the younger age group which further disadvantages the older age group who are seeking employment. We would propose an extension of Jobs Growth Wales to include all age groups but proceeded by a period of intensive support to properly prepare participants for their period of paid employment.

As with many of our customers who are long-term unemployed, older people may fail to see the transferable skills that they possess, either because they have done the same job for many years or because they have not had paid work for a long time. To overcome this we use a Working Links Mentor or Coach, enabling them to recognise their skills. These may have been gained in a particular industry or through life experiences or even in the hobby or activity that they enjoy as part of their leisure time. Both jobseekers and coaches report that intensive tuition in using a computer, job-searching, writing covering letters and CV’s and applying on-line bring a dual benefit of building confidence, that they have successfully mastered new skills, and improving their employability. The job-searching process can be problematic due to the more formal nature of recruitment, the use of technology and the competitiveness of the market and help is required to navigate the process. The same can be said for the interview process and coaching and practice is required with competency-based or evidence-based interview questions.

We might conclude that, although it is more of a challenge to support our over-50s customers into work, when we get it right, they are more likely to sustain work. They also bring invaluable mentoring skills and a lifetime of experience to their new colleagues– and that’s a key message for the National Assembly’s Business and Enterprise Committee to reflect on as it goes about its work.

Deri ap Hywel is Wales Director at Working Links. 

Tagged with: Older People

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