A recent study by the University of South Australia's Centre for Workplace Excellence found that nearly one-third of mature-aged job seekers experience ageism in their attempts to find work.
And time required for those aged over 55 to get a job can take up to 68 weeks.
Val Wood has been working in contract jobs since losing her stable government work as an administrator several years ago.
Since then, she’s not been able to find permanent work.
In today’s tough job market where less than half of working Australians are in full-time employment, even though Wood now works as a telemarketer, there’s still no guarantee of job security in a cut-throat environment.
At 56, Wood believes she has at least another ten years of working life.
Wood has put her telemarketing job on hold as she studies towards becoming a community worker at TAFE Queensland.
With one-fifth of students at TAFE Queensland over the age of forty, career counsellor Tomas Lillyman has noticed an increase in older migrants and refugees in their forties through to sixties seeking further studies after completing their English training.
Lillyman advises keeping your skills relevant and digital literacy up to date to match the current job market for better employment outcomes.
“It’s great to do market research through sites like SEEK to see what the industry is asking for just to see are there trends that weren’t around when you were looking for work last time. Are there skills that people are asking for that you might not have and that might disadvantage you? If that's the case where can you build those skills up.”
Whether you’re job-hunting or retraining for a new career, your confidence is likely to suffer during a long employment gap according to career coach Jacqui Rochester.
She says people who are successful in making the transition are people who are thinking about what they want to do and are open to different types of ideas and roles that keep them active.
Whilst it can be extremely frustrating to be jobless at 55 and beyond, Rochester suggests figuring out your goals and desired outcomes first.
The next step is being open and honest about your situation as there is a good chance that your next job is going to come from somebody you know or via somebody they know.
When facing financial hardship, you may be eligible for support from Centrelink if you’re an Australian citizen, a protected special category visa holder or permanent resident.
The future may seem bleak with a recent study showing that job seekers over fifty take twice as long to find work than those aged between 15 to 24 years.
However, career counsellor Tomas Lillyman believes with a carefully crafted age neutral resume and cover letter, older applicants can show their unique selling points over younger competitors.
