Age against older job-seekers

WELLINGTON - A bias against older job-seekers overlooks the benefits they can bring to a business, says Victoria University student researcher Joanne Brown.

Their wealth of experience and knowledge enabled them to identify problems more easily and they were also likely to be more reliable than younger workers, she said.

As part of her PhD in psychology, Ms Brown, aged 29, is looking at how people aged 50-65 cope with job loss. She has interviewed 38 people and received back 67 questionnaires.

"I'm seeking 120 participants for my survey and 80 for interviews."

Her research showed that job status or education level had little to do with job loss for the over-50s.

"Respondents to date have ranged from cleaners to doctors. They all have similar concerns and difficulties."

Mature people faced a number of barriers in the workforce. Many employers worried that they would not be as quick and up-to-date as younger people and would cost more to employ.

Employers frequently said mature workers were over-qualified, overlooking the fact that often they just wanted a job.

Ms Brown said her research would help identify the strategies people found most effective in dealing with job loss.

The research involved a postal survey and an optional face-to-face interview.

- NZPA