What is
Age Discrimination?

You’ve probably felt it before; when someone defines your abilities by your age, or assumes you can’t contribute because you’re too young or that you wouldn’t understand because you’re too old. That’s age discrimination, and it’s getting worse.

Age discrimination can happen to us all, but it hits older Australians hardest. New research has shown us that if you are over 55, you are 47% more likely to lose your job, more likely to suffer from mental health issues and more likely to be lonely.

Age discrimination is happening even as Australians are living, working and staying active for longer. It is holding us back at a time when mature Australians are becoming more and more vital for Australian business as employers, employees, producers and consumers. Age discrimination forgets that older Australians are the engine rooms of our communities, volunteering more hours than anyone else in the country, and that their experience, wisdom and generosity provides positive role models for us all.

We are all getting older, so it’s time to stop age discrimination before it stops us. Help us to put the positivity back into ageing.

At Work

Workplaces are some of the biggest offenders when it comes to age discrimination. That just doesn’t make sense, because they have the most to gain from mature Australians.

Our recent research found that a 5% increase in workforce participation of people over 55 would add $48 billion to the Australian economy. But even though older Australians employees have billions of dollars worth of skills and experience, they are still the most likely to be let go.

If you are an employer, we want to help resource you to recognise the power of oldness. Download our pack, and start making your workplace Age Positive today.