Age to blame for missing out on jobs, say over-40s

One
in eight employees claims they have been discouraged from applying for a job in
the past year because the advert contained an age restriction, according to a
survey by the CIPD.

The
survey of more than 1,000 staff, called Age Discrimination at Work, suggests
that nearly a quarter of employees believe employers are not interested in
recruiting or promoting people over the age of 40.

CIPD
researcher Melissa Compton-Edwards, the report’s author, said, "More needs
to be done to convince employers that using age to select people for
employment, promotion or redundancy is extremely wasteful."

The
research follows last week’s release of a European code of practice on
combating ageism by lobby groups Employers’ Forum on Age and Eurolink Age. It
is aimed at preventing employers falling foul of the law after the EU ban on
workplace age discrimination comes into effect in 2006.  

HR
managers believe organisations are already responding. Susan Bell, employment
relations manager of train company GNER, said, "Employers are increasingly
looking for a committed workforce so they cannot afford to be so
short-sighted."  

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The
survey also shows that ageism is not confined to older workers. Seven per cent
of the 16- to 24-year-olds claim they have been told explicitly by potential
employers in the past year that they are too young for a job.  www.cipd.co.uk

By
paul nelson