“That’s not enough for people”: Over-65s flooding job market as Newstart isn’t enough
As the age pension goes up and more older Australians are on Newstart, many over-65s are flooding the national job market in hopes of finding employment to boost their quality of life.
However, many are finding that their skills and experience are unwanted by new employers. As the changing nature of jobs has evolved quite quickly, more older Australians are finding that the experience they once had is no longer relevant.
People over the age of 65 are the single faster growing age group securing work, which is up by 11 per cent in the last 12 months alone, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
Despite the boost in numbers of older Australians gaining work, others are finding it very difficult, with a 39 per cent jump in the number of unemployed over 65s looking to keep a full-time job.
West Australian workplace diversity expert Conrad Liveris said that there’s a range of issues that explain the jump in older Australians entering the workplace as well as why they’re struggling to get the job they want.
"The 65-plus age group is caught between a transition to a new retirement system, a changing labour market and an economy which still values their skills," he said.
"And also, they're not dying. Their health is pretty damn good. They are not going anywhere."
National Seniors chief advocate Ian Henschke agrees, saying that older Australians also face prejudice as they tried to get a job that could potentially worsen as they grow older.
"Without a doubt there is prejudice facing older Australians as they seek to get a job. People find if they don't put their age on an application they can get an interview but if they do they miss out," he said.
"As the age pension age goes up, you've got more and more older Australians on Newstart and that's just not enough for people."