The majority of workers over 50 believe they’re less likely to be selected for a job because of their age, suggests research.
Hays’ annual Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Report, published in partnership with FAIRER Consulting, surveyed more than 5,700 employers and professionals across the UK. It found that three in five (61%) professionals of all ages felt their chances of being selected for a role had been lowered because of their age.
The majority (81%) of professionals aged over 50 cited age as the main factor reducing their chances of being selected for a job, whereas half (49%) of workers under 50 felt age had negatively impacted their chances of landing a role.
Overall, 57% felt their chance of being selected for a job had been lowered because of an identifying characteristic, with ethnicity (35%) and gender (32%) also cited.
Fifty-six per cent said there had been occasions where they felt their opportunities for career progression had been limited similarly because of an identifying characteristic, with age again the most commonly cited factor (58%).
Three quarters (77%) of professionals over 50 said they believed age to be the main factor that led to their prospects for career progression being limited, whereas fewer than half (47%) of workers under the age of 50 felt the same.
However, the research also found that organisations were now more likely to have taken steps to mitigate bias in the hiring process compared to 2019, such as unconscious bias training to hiring managers and interviewers (54% now compared to 34% in 2019.)
VOLUME 19 ISSUE 6