Member Article

Britain risks economic underperformance by prioritising youth ahead

• Research reveals almost 100 per cent of over 50s unemployed feel ignored by Government
• Over 80 per cent claim to be victims of age discrimination

London, April 16th:92.8 per cent of jobseekers aged over 50 feel the Government is ignoring the problem of over 50s unemployment, according to new research conducted by skilledpeople.com, the online service that matches older experienced candidates with companies seeking skilled staff.

In a survey of 702 registered candidates, skilledpeople.com found that respondents believe the problem of youth unemployment is being exaggerated and addressed at the expense of the over 50s who are being expected to work longer before retirement. As a result Britain’s economic growth will be slower for many years to come than if the entire nation’s experience was properly harnessed, the site claims.

Additionally, over three quarters (80.3 per cent) of those surveyed feel that during their job search they have been discriminated against because of their age. This supports the conclusion earlier this year of the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) that age-related discrimination and stereotyping remain “rooted in British society”. (‘Attitude to Age in Britain’ report, January 2012).

Commenting on the research, Skilledpeople.com Managing Director, Keith Simpson said:

“We see a constant flood of CVs from exceptionally well qualified people seeking new opportunities who are under-employed for one reason only – they are aged over 50.

“We are appalled that respondents feel they have been victims of ageism. It’s extremely short-sighted of employers to discriminate on age grounds. Over 50s require little or no training, making them productive workers from the outset.”

Skilledpeople.com is an initiative by two retired individuals who realised that the skills of the over 50s can be put to use to successfully satisfy the needs of SMEs and start-ups

Dr. Ros Altmann, Director-General of the Saga Group, commented, “Skilledpeople.com is an exciting project. It is so vital to help older people who lose their jobs to get back into the labour market as they have so much to offer.”

‘Silver Bullet’ trouble-shooting team to be launched

Skilledpeople.com is ‘putting its money where its mouth is’. To encourage small businesses to take advantage of the skills that older jobseekers have to offer, the site plans to create a collection of exceptional people who have agreed to work on short term consultancy-style projects for very low rates to prove their worth. It’s calling these people the ‘Silver Bullets’ because they will offer employers a low cost, direct and effortless solution to business problems.

ENDS

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Eimear .