Workshop on Age and Employment

25 June 2008

Mike Healy

Westminster Business School

University of Westminster

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The international nature of mature@eu

16 Partners16 Partners 3 Universities

4 Social Partner Organisations

2 Research Institutes

6 NGOs

2 IT-companies

From 10 countries10 countries AT, BG, DE, GR, HU, NL, SI, UK, CH

DurationDuration 24 month, 8/2006 to 7/2008

Project volumevolume 371.623, with 74,96% LdV Subvention

Project coordinationcoordination Zentrum fuer Soziale Innovation, Austria

Web-presenceWeb-presence www.mature-project.eu/

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... our partnership of experts ...

AustriaAustriaZentrum fuer Soziale Innovation

Software AG

Federal Chambers of Commerce

Public Labour Market Service

Bulgaria Bulgaria New Bulgarian University

Germany Germany Technologie- und Innovationsagentur

GreekGreekGreek Research&Technology Network

DreamTech Information Systems

Hungary Hungary Information Society Research&Teaching Group

The Netherlands The Netherlands The Netherlands Platform Older People and Europe

Slovenia Slovenia Security Technology Competence Centre

UnitedUnited KingdomKingdomUniversity of Westminster

Employers Forum on Age

SwitzerlandSwitzerlandUnion Network International

Swiss Occidental Leonardo

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Why mature@eu?

Because of demographic shifts,demographic shifts, skilled labour supply is constantly declining. This has become a key issue within the European Union.

In the future the number of young skilled employees will continue to dwindle, the participation of older workers will become (and already is) essential.

Employing mature workers is not the problem – it is the solution of a problem.

Thus, there is a significant need for a re-orientation of the current Thus, there is a significant need for a re-orientation of the current hiring policies in place.hiring policies in place.

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Percentage of the population who are employed, 2005

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

80.0

90.0

100.0

Icelan

d

New Z

ealan

d

Sweden

Norway

Switzer

land

Japa

n

Denm

ark

United

Sta

tes

United

King

domKor

ea

Canad

a

Finlan

d

Austra

lia

OECD

Portu

gal

Irelan

d

Czech

Rep

ublic

Nethe

rland

s

Mex

ico

Germ

any

Franc

eEU25

Spain

Greec

e

Slovak

Rep

ublic

Luxe

mbo

urg

Austri

a

Hunga

ry

BelgiumIta

ly

Poland

Turke

y

Age 50-64 Age 25-49

Source: Mark KEESEEmployment, Labour and Social Affairs, OECD, IES Annual

Employment Policy Conference, London, 9 November 2006

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Age is the most common form of discrimination in the workplace

The perceived extentThe perceived extent

46% of Europeans46% of Europeans think that discrimination on the basis of age is widespread.

At the country level, we find that this view is most widely held in Hungary (66%) and the Czech Republic (63%) and least so in Ireland (30%) and Luxembourg (31%).

An examination of the results in the two acceding countries shows that age discrimination is more widely perceived in Bulgaria than in Romania. Yet at the same time, Bulgaria has the highest proportion of respondents who feel that the problem is non-existent (17%).

Source: Special Eurobarometer 263 / Wave 65.4, January 2007

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EU Equal Treatment Directive 2000EU Equal Treatment Directive 2000 makes it unlawful that older job applicants are discriminated against their age.

Attitudes to age inequality: “in our country people over 50 are often considered as being no longer capable of working efficiently“

The country rankThe country rank: the view is most widespread in Portugal (78%), Portugal (78%), followed by Slovakia (73%) and Germany (71%).followed by Slovakia (73%) and Germany (71%). This contrasts sharply with public opinion in Denmark (35%), Cyprus (36%) and the Netherlands (37%), where only around a third of citizens agree with this statement.

Analysis of the socio-demographic variables shows that differences in opinion between the various age groups are quite smallopinion between the various age groups are quite small, with 55% of people younger55% of people younger than 40 agreeing with the statement, compared to 59% of those aged 4059% of those aged 40 and over.

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Objectives and Targets of mature@eu

Our argument:Our argument: A key strategy for the economic growth in a time of competition for talents, specially in the ICT labour marketICT labour market, is to train those key persons with an influence on the recruitment policies of employers.

mature@eumature@eu is directly concerned with providing an integrated supportintegrated support packagepackage to Business Leaders, Equal Opportunities Representatives, HRM, Trade Union Officers and Worker Representatives which enable to introduce age-diverse recruitment policies and practicesage-diverse recruitment policies and practices.

Raise the rate of the Raise the rate of the hiring hiring probabilityprobability of older of older professionals in the ICT professionals in the ICT sectorsector

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Concepts of ‚age-diverse‘ recruitment

Three strategies of implementing age-diversityThree strategies of implementing age-diversity

1. eliminating all strands of discriminationall strands of discrimination, including age discrimination

2. achieving a balanced age structurebalanced age structure within the company or strategies anticipating future age management problems

3. discriminating in favour of older workersfavour of older workers, if companies actively seek to recruit them either because of expected business benefits

‘‘Good practice means ensuring that older Good practice means ensuring that older workers have either workers have either equalequal or or specialspecial access to the available jobs and that access to the available jobs and that

potential applicants are potential applicants are not not discriminateddiscriminated against either directly or against either directly or

indirectly’indirectly’ (Walker, 1998:3) (Walker, 1998:3)

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Key Principles in age-bias free recruitment

‘‘A-B-C-D model’A-B-C-D model’

a)a) Ages:Ages: chronological ages should never be quoted unless there is some assured relevance attached to so doing.

b)b) Balance:Balance: older people should be represented in a balanced manner, that is, by and large, exhibiting the same mix of qualities and characteristics as the population at large.

c)c) Concept:Concept: those involved should seek to acquaint themselves more clearly with the new understanding of older age and utilise that concept in their own work.

d)d) Display:Display: those involved should occasionally check their work against the touchstone of the large proportion of the population in the older age group.

Source: Wait and Midwinter (ed) (2005:26)

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Outcomes of mature@eu (I)

A study reportA study report

reviewing labour market participation characteristics of older workers

with a special focus on the ICT labour market

discussing critical issues in personnel hiring policies

offering a range of recommendations for age-diverse recruitment policies

available from www.mature-project.eu/available from www.mature-project.eu/

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Outcomes of mature@eu (II)

E-learning modules in eight European languagesE-learning modules in eight European languages

offering effective and practical support in order to enable organisations to:

Become age sensitive Identify and overcome age stereotyping Develop an effective business case for age diverse recruitment policiesCreating and implementing recruitment and selection processes that are age balanced.

Age-Diversity Recruitment ToolkitAge-Diversity Recruitment Toolkit that provides the necessary background information and materials to help you re-design your existing recruitment policies to become age-diverse.

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