f anyone understands the employment landscape for an ageing population, it’s Shane Higgins.

His recruitment business – Older Workers – is at the coalface every day. Not only is he there with the mature-age individuals grappling with retrenchments, semi-retirement or just wanting to work past the age pension’s definition of ‘retirement age’, but he also deals with Australia’s business community, who are grappling with how to act appropriately as ‘age-friendly’ employers.

“We work with some wonderful employers who are totally sold on the many benefits of older workers, however we know that ageism is also alive and well out there with some employers,” says Higgins.

This ageism issue is an ongoing vexation for the Age Discrimination Commissioner The Hon Susan Ryan, who describes unemployment among older Australians as a “national disaster” , noting that 68 per cent of all age discrimination complaints to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission are about employment.

But as Higgins says, with an ageing population and the oncoming ‘tsunami’ of workers over the age of 45, he expects the tide will start to turn at a much faster rate, driven purely by necessity.

COTA Australia – which represents the rights and interests of older Australia – confirms this. By 2050, people aged 65 and over will be 25 per cent or more of the population. Currently, around 170,000 new workers join the Australian workforce each year, but modelling shows that by 2020 that number is likely to shrink to just 12,500 each year.

While Higgins’ business – now at 31,000 registered jobseekers and 1900 registered age-friendly employers – looks set to benefit from these shifts, what’s more interesting is that the business is a result of Higgins’ personal encounter with ageism in the workforce.

Six years ago, at the age of 58, he and some of his colleagues were moved sideways and downwards when their employer was bought out by a larger company. Higgins left the company thinking he would quickly acquire a new job, but it took him two years to find one and worse still, it was below his level of experience and skills.

“I was grateful to have a job, but I felt embarrassed and worthless that I couldn’t get employment despite my excellent record and performance. It took me a very long time to build my confidence and self-esteem.”

It was his son – who helps him run the business – that recommended he turn his experience into the development of a ‘job board’ for others in the same situation.

Higgins’ story is sadly not rare. Figures released in November showed that 140,000 unemployed Australians between the age of 50 and 64 were receiving the Newstart Allowance from Centrelink, and that Australians aged 45 and over were spending on average, 72 weeks in an unemployed state.

So it begs the question, if you’re retrenched or ‘shifted’ downwards or sideways in a company, how do you forge a new path using all the resources available?

“It is important that you take the time to look at all options; to look at the things you enjoy doing, any special skills or passions you have that you could turn into an income,” says Higgins.

“It might also provide you with an opportunity to retrain to assist you into a different industry. Sometimes these things can be for the better, although it may not seem so at the time.

“Some mature-age workers have moved between jobs and don’t require any ‘makeover’, however if you have been in the one job for decades – which many older workers have – then it is highly possible you will need to reinvent yourself in terms of CV, updating skills, networks, how and where you look for employment and your interview skills.”

As for companies and sectors to pursue, Higgins says there are some industries that are outshining others in terms of retaining and recruiting older workers. These include aged care, finance, call centres and personal services.

Higgins also encourages a positive outlook: “Not all redundancies are negative experiences. Try to make yours as positive as it can be. In hindsight, I’d have used the time to do more things for myself as well as job hunt.”

Finally, Higgins tells one of many inspiring stories – about a man who had applied for a part-time retail position with one of Older Workers’ clients, and after the interview he was actually offered a full-time leader’s role.

“He wrote to tell us that his life had changed and he was thrilled, as were we.”

Have you been retrenched? How did you find looking for a new role?

Source: Living Well Navigator

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