United Kingdom: Ageism Persists According to Citizenship Survey

Figures published by the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG) as part of the "Citizenship Survey: 2009-10" show that ageism is the biggest single factor for being discriminated against in recruitment. Four percent of all workers aged 50 and over say they have been refused a job because of their age in the past five years. Only those people aged 16-24 has a higher percentage (5%) reporting that they feel they have been discriminated against by recruiters because of their age.

Michelle Mitchell, Age UK Charity Director, said:

The spreading perception of ageism in recruitment shows that, for older workers, the job market is still not fit for purpose.

As more mature workers are pushed into the recruitment arena by the reassessment of welfare-to-work benefits, hundreds of thousands of them will risk coming up against the invisible wall of ageism.

Before forcing people to rejoin the job market or work for longer, the government must lay the foundations of a better job market for older people, with fairness and flexibility as cornerstones.

Sources: Age UK News Release (July 22, 2010); Communities and Local Government News Release (July 22, 2010)