The mid-life work crisis needs more than a conversation

The Office for National Statistics reported in May 2021 that a quarter of the 4.7 million people furloughed during the pandemic were aged 50-plus. Now the furlough scheme has ended, analysts warn that many of them will be laid off and may remain chronically unemployed. 

The Institute for Fiscal Studies released a report in September 2021 predicting that employment prospects for those over 50 living in London are particularly bleak, especially for those without a degree or professional qualification. 

As a consequence, there are currently hundreds of thousands of unemployed older workers looking for jobs post furlough. This may not concern those who don’t fall into this category. But for those of us that do, it matters.

When COVID-19 cost me my own job 12 months ago, it did not cross my mind that it would be hard to find another, or that my age would be the reason I wouldn’t. My experience over the months that followed proved otherwise.

I applied for several jobs, well within my capabilities, which were ultimately offered to people half my age. Despite recruiters’ commitment to equal opportunities, it became increasingly clear that unconscious bias against older workers was the reason my attempts to find work were routinely thwarted.

Many of us are deterred from taking the arduous steps to prove that we have been discriminated against because it may damage our reputation. Challenging age discrimination is not for the faint-hearted, unless you are a high-profile employee such as Miriam O’Reilly, who successfully won her case against the BBC in 2011. 

After months with no salary, I applied for Rishi Sunak’s new style Job Seeker’s Allowance. With 48 years of National Insurance contributions racked-up, I was eligible — so why not? 

The application process involved an invasive and humiliating phone interview with my job centre coach which lasted 1.5 hours.  When I revealed my age, he responded “I’m not surprised you haven’t found a job – you are eligible for your pension next year”.  

Any doubt that my age was a problem evaporated instantly. I should be put out to pasture together with all the other cancelled older workers deemed past it and equally dispensable.  

Nonetheless, executive search group, Spencer Stuart, reports that the average age of non-executive directors is 60. Their experience is valued, yet they are representative of the very same demographic that is increasingly barricaded from the workplace. 

Spritely Prue Leith, of Bake-Off fame, is a shining example of what people can do, well into their 80’s. The Department for Work and Pensions should consider harnessing her energy to lead a campaign to usurp our prevailing ageist culture.

Whitehall acknowledges that rising unemployment of older workers is a growing problem requiring resolution. The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy has recently initiated a consultation process proposing that all employees should be offered the option to work flexibly. 

Additionally, the ONS has recently released data proving that older workers have benefitted from working at home during the pandemic. Those interviewed reported that their productivity, well-being, and work-life balance improved.  

Evidence also shows that working from home enables older people to retire later.  Employers should now be considering how they can retain experienced talent by offering part-time working and job-sharing.   

The Centre for Ageing Better is one of a few organisations engaged in reversing the pervasive ageist mindset. They encourage companies to upskill older employees by offering training and development opportunities. Barclays has partnered with them to trial retraining programmes for those over 50 facing redundancy.

However, lasting change is not achievable unless policies are introduced to facilitate access to employment for older workers. Failure to do so will result in a stockpile of experienced people excluded from the workplace because of their age. 

I recently met someone two months away from retiring as CEO of a well-known charity.  Because of his previous experience in marketing and e-commerce, he succeeded in negotiating an alternative part-time role to stave off unwanted retirement. 

With final salary pensions becoming extinct, it is crucial for older people to earn a living for as long as possible.  The proposed cancellation of the triple lock pension pledge presents a further blow to those approaching retirement.  

The number of people over 65 will increase by 40% over the next 20 years. The number of households where the oldest person is 85 and over is increasing faster than any other age group (ONS 2017).  

Providing basic social care to our ageing population is already a major challenge. It is therefore incumbent on Government to ensure that older people are paying their taxes for as long as possible. 

The cost of living is rising and those without work may be unable to put food on their tables. People without bulging pension pots to dip into, will undoubtedly be draining the public purse by claiming all manner of benefits to meet basic needs, choking the economy as it stutters towards recovery. 

Losing my own job has taken me on an unexpected journey forcing me to think about a career change. I am not yet ready to retire, nor can I afford to. I suspect that there are many in a similar situation.  

It is time for experienced older workers to be valued rather than discarded to the graveyard of perpetual unemployment. The Government pledged in their manifesto to build back better and to level up opportunities for all. Without a thriving older generation this pledge will remain unfulfilled.

Reference: Give us a Job — Alan Bleasdale – Boys from the Blackstuff