Due to the high cost of living today, many over 50s are being forced to remain in the workplace when, in the past, they may have been in a position to consider early retirement. Yet many are struggling to find work due to their age. However, a new initiative by the government will focus upon aiding older members of the workforce in finding employment, with small to medium sized enterprises to become a particular focus under the scheme.
At present, it is estimated that around 1.2 million unemployed over 50s are “willing to work” but are not being presented with the opportunity to do so by businesses – something which, according to the government, is costing the country’s economy £50 billion per year. The scheme will attempt to address this issue by launching seven trial “older working champions” in job centres across the country, which in total is expected to cost £250,000.
These champions will offer older workers the opportunity to attend classes in computing, tailoring CVs and honing their interview skills as a means of adapting their experience to the modern workplace. They will also be eligible for “career reviews” which will provide assistance in identifying skills already gained and how these could be highlighted to increase the chance of getting a job offer.
Employment Minister Esther McVey denies that the scheme will simply focus upon shoehorning over 50s into roles to the detriment of school leavers and young professionals.
She says; “The plight of unemployed older workers has gone under the radar for too long.
“There is something fundamentally wrong with so many skilled and experienced people finding themselves locked out of the workplace simply because of their age.
“More jobs are being created in the UK than anywhere else in Europe – we’ve just got to make sure that everybody is part of that growth.”
The scheme will not simply focus upon improving the skills set of over 50s, however, as another aspect will work towards encouraging SMEs to consider taking on older workers. Job centre staff members from the seven selected champions will visit local SMEs, making presentations and answering questions to “ensure they [SME employers] recognise the benefits of hiring older workers.”
The latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) certainly seems to indicate that there is a widespread issue with over 50s finding work in the UK at present. While overall long term unemployment fell by 16 per cent in the year to November, in the over 50s population unemployment dropped by only 3.5 per cent, equating to around 250,000 workers becoming employed.
Age UK representative Caroline Abrahams believes that the initiative will go a long way towards combatting negative perceptions by employers in hiring older workers.
She continues; “The last thing people want to be doing is having to dip into their savings in their late 50s.
“It’s a really bad thing if you lose your job in your 50s and we know that if you do it’s awfully difficult to get another one.”
