Research from IrishJobs.ie reveals that older workers who are planning on changing roles worry their age might stop them from getting a new job.
However, those who are planning to change roles in the next two years report that they are upskilling (65%) to stay employable.
The research carried out by IrishJobs.ie amongst 1,038 job seekers across multiple industries shows that 31% of older workers believe they lost out on a job opportunity due to their age at least on one or more occasion.
A quarter of older employees believe they were passed over for promotion due to their age. As a result, 62% of workers were apprehensive about looking for a new job with 45% of older employees planning to stay in their existing sector.
In fact, the research showed that older employees are going a lot further than their younger counterparts to stay competitive for new roles. To overcome the perception of being older, 40% are going to the gym more with 64% switching to healthier diet and another 43% taking more vitamins. When it came to more extreme measures, 38% considered dying their hair, with 29% thinking about having their teeth whitened. 44% planned to give up smoking, with another 26% considering giving up alcohol. In fact, 8% of those surveyed considered anti-aging injections.
“While it’s illegal to discriminate against employees because of their age, it’s obvious that older jobseekers are concerned about how their date of birth will impact on their search for a new job.” says Orla Moran, General Manager, IrishJobs.ie.
“The reality, given the pension gap, is that the majority of us will all be working for longer so employers should do more to reassure older workers that their talent and experience are of value to them. It’s terrific to see that many older workers are doing the right thing and keeping their skills up to date. In fact, it’s something we’d advise workers of all ages to do, continuing to upskill and staying relevant within their chosen industry is essential for continual employment.”