Recruiters ignoring mature talent

MAYBE with scientific data, they’ll start to listen. Recent research confirms that excluding older people from the workforce is not just short sighted and prejudiced: it's bad business.

Mature age workers are among some of the most motivated and productive participants in the workforce, according to a study by accounting firm Ernst and Young.

The results of the study by the firm found that as people get older they become more motivated to perform to the highest capacity. The research found that an overwhelming 80% of respondents aged 55-64 said they were motivated to perform to the best of their ability, while only 61% of respondents from ages 20-24 supported this statement. 

According to adage.com.au, which represents the mature age workforce, many recruiters and employers are dismissing the mature market even though they are likely to deliver higher productivity, lower turnover and are less demanding than their younger counterparts.

The report also found that there were seven available workers over the age of 45 for every single new labour market entrant. The research also found that salary, incentives and bonuses were one of the least motivating factors for those over 45 while it was the most motivating for those under 45.

Adage managing director Heidi Holmes said there was an unintended bias towards mature age workers from the 45-65 age bracket.

“Time and again we are seeing compelling research to support hiring mature age workers for financial and diversity reasons, yet employers are still reluctant to specifically target this audience,” Holmes said.

“It’s a result of recruitment consultants, because they are often quite young, having an unaware bias towards older workers.”

Holmes said recruiters under 30 years of age might not fully appreciate experience cited on a resume from the 1970s or 80s and that the bias was probably unintentional.

“I don’t think its leadership not wanting to hire mature age workers; it’s often through that recruitment process in that very early stage where its happening,” she said.

Holmes said an unconscious bias can happen with recruitment organisations and internal recruiters and organisations could therefore appear a bit youth obsessed. 

She said older people stayed in the workforce for a number of different motivations, financial and otherwise.

“Some people have had their super decimated in the last few years, also we’re living longer,” she said.

“I think there are people who are not financially motivated but they see their career as being connected to a community … people often retire and six months later they are bored or they are driving their husband or wife nuts.”

Holmes said a common motivator was an increased financial burden where ageing workers could still have older dependants such as living parents or younger dependants still at home who were paying university education debts.

Direct sales and marketing organisation The Smart Company recently turned to the mature age market to fill roles where they traditionally face higher turnover.

Recruitment head Rachel Davis said the standard of the applicants received for the positions was significant and the company had had a huge success rate so far.