More
than 50 per cent of graduates believe employees should be allowed to choose
when they retire, according to a new report by the Employers Forum on Age (EFA)
and The Association of Graduate Recruiters.
In
the survey of 600 recent graduates, 54 per cent said that mandatory retirement
should be abolished and only 33 per cent believed that such action would hinder
their opportunities in the job market.
More
than 80 per cent claimed that age should have no bearing on promotion, 50 per
cent said employers shouldn’t refuse training on the basis of age and 60 per
cent that graduate recruitment schemes should not have a maximum age.
The
report, Graduating to Age Legislation, which was commissioned by the DTI as
part of its consultation on age legislation highlighted some conflicting views
on the legitimacy of recruiting staff by age.
While
more than 70 per cent thought that teenage fashion stores should be allowed to
advertise for staff of a specific age to help advise customers and increase
sales, only 37 per cent thought the same process should apply to staff selling
products to the over-50s.
Sam
Mercer, campaign director at the EFA, said the Government faced a challenge in
trying to legislate on where decisions based on age were appropriate:
“Our
findings reveal real confusion among graduates when questioned about what should
and shouldn’t be allowed. This illustrates not only the difficulties that the
Government faces in trying to implement workable legislation, but also the
difficulties business will have in implementing cultural change in the
workplace.”
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