A recent Hays study highlights that most workers over 50 feel their age affects their job prospects, sparking calls for businesses to adopt more inclusive recruitment and career advancement practices.
According to the study, 61% of workers, regardless of age, believe their chances of being hired have been negatively affected by age. However, the impact was more prevalent when it comes to older workers, with 81% of professionals aged 50+ citing age as the primary reason for their reduced job prospects. In contrast, only 49% of workers under 50 felt the same way.
Besides age, other characteristics such as ethnicity (35%) and gender (32%) were also highlighted as barriers to being selected for specific roles. Furthermore, 56% of participants said they had experienced limited advancement opportunities because of such traits, with age being the most frequently mentioned factor. Among older workers, 77% reported that age had limited their career progression, compared to 47% of younger workers.
Dan Robertson, managing director of FAIRER Consulting, expressed concern that older employees feel “pushed out of the workplace,” highlighting the need for a genuine commitment to DEI, not just in recruitment but within the broader company culture.
The report has also revealed progress in addressing hiring bias since 2019. More organizations are now offering unconscious bias training (54%, up from 34%) and implementing anonymised recruitment processes (45%, up from 23%).