Why is it so hard to challenge discrimination against old age in the workforce?

Despite Australia's retirement age now being 67, workers aged 51 to 55 are often considered to be older workers during hiring processes. The finding comes in new research from the Australian H-R Institute and the Australian Human Rights Commission.

Older engineer mentoring engineering apprentice on traditional lathe in engineering factory Credit: Monty Rakusen/Getty Images

Key Points

• People in their 50's are often known as the sandwich generation, balancing caring responsibilities for their aging parents and their children.
• A study found while half of employers responding to the survey find it difficult to fill vacancies, just 56 per cent of them say they are to a large extent open to hire workers aged 50 to 64.
• Sarah McCann-Bartlett is the CEO of the Australian H-R Institute says many employers actually find no differences in performances between older and younger workers.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

Why is it so hard to challenge discrimination against old age in the workforce?

SBS Filipino

06:30Filipino

📢 Where to Catch SBS Filipino

🔊 On Air – Tune in to SBS Filipino on radio stations across Australia and website live stream, and TV Channel 302 from 10 AM to 11 AM AEST daily.

📲 Catch up episodes and stories – Visit sbs.com.au/filipino or stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Youtube Podcasts, and SBS Audio app.

📣 Follow Us on Social Media – Stay updated by following us on Facebook and Instagram.