Workers aged over-50 are more loyal, more reliable and better able to cope with stress than younger workers.
This was acknowledged by business owners and senior company executives in a series of authoritative surveys.
Yet age discrimination – ageism – continues, says a report by the Australian Human Rights Commission and the Australian Human Resource (HR) Institute.
“Growing numbers of Australian employers are reluctant to employ seniors despite the evidence. Age-based assumptions are blocking employers from harnessing the right skills,” it says.
Their fifth national survey of employers and human resource professionals highlights age discrimination at a time when enhanced productivity is seen as essential for Australia’s economic future.
HR Institute CEO, Sarah McCann-Bartlett, said: “Some workplaces are hesitant to employ workers over the age of 50, before they are even close to retirement age.”
One in five human resources professionals said their recruitment practices negatively impacted older workers.
In the current tight labour market, there was a clear economic imperative to tap into the full potential of the available labour pool.
“And that means building inclusive practices that support employees at every stage of their careers.”
Younger workers scored higher for energy and technological fluency but rated lower for reliability, loyalty and ability to cope with stress.
Age Discrimination commissioner, Robert Fitzgerald, said the findings highlight the need for sustained action against ageism.
“A mix of older and younger workers can be a real advantage for businesses,” he said.
Age-diverse teams brought different life experiences to the table and were better at solving problems.
“Employers need to support inclusive workplaces, where competency isn’t assessed against age or career stage.
“Providing equal opportunity for people of all ages to remain engaged in meaningful work can enhance productivity, while also helping close skills gaps,” he said.
Nearly 60 per cent of respondents said the departure of older workers led to a loss of key skills. Only 13 per cent said their organisations consistently captured that knowledge.
Nearly 24 per cent of human resource professionals now classified workers aged 51–55 as ‘older’.
This increased from 10 per cent in 2023, suggested many employers were sidelining experienced professionals in an economy suffering skills shortages.
The report, Older and Younger Workers: What Do Employers Think? highlights age discrimination despite growing recognition of the value of senior workers.
More than half of respondents reported hard-to-fill vacancies but only 56 per cent said they were open to hiring workers aged 50 to 64 ‘to a large extent’.
This dropped to 28 per cent for those 65 and over; more than one in six said they wouldn’t hire this age group.
“This bias undermines diversity of thought and productivity,” commissioner Fitzgerald said.
Ms McCann-Bartlett said: “If we want to fill our skills gaps and improve productivity, we need to shift from age-based assumptions to evidence-based strategies.
“That means designing jobs that keep people engaged across the life-cycle, using emerging techniques to attract and retain different generations and building workplace cultures where no -one is written-off because of the year they were born.”
