Are you affected by ageism?

If you are a mature age worker, you may be affected by negative stereotypes about older people which impact on your ability to get a new job or even keep existing employment.  Recent reports show people over 50 are more likely to be made redundant, despite their skills and experience, and age discrimination is alive and well in many Australian workplaces.

As Australia's population demographic ages in the next few years, there needs to be a shift in attitudes - both towards older workers as well as to older people in general.  We are now seeing efforts to promote the benefits of hiring mature age workers, and to value the social contribution made by older people.

Susan Ryan, the newly appointed Age Discrimination Commissioner at the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission is keen to hear from older people about their experiences, (both positive and negative) through the HREOC Age Positive project.

Links which may be of interest on these and related issues can be found in the article published on the Seniors Housing Online News and Information page.