Ageism: the unrecognised form of discrimination?

Harvey John’s first-ever Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Report is live, with over 700 people responding in early 2022. The results have already revealed something surprising: while we didn’t ask directly, ageism came up repeatedly in the free-text responses. It’s clear age-related discrimination is a key issue people are facing today

As someone who has experienced this issue within my network of contacts,  I’ve reflected on some of the comments collated and how this has impacted recruitment practices.  

Since starting in recruitment, I have had friends and family talk to me about their current jobs, looking for new roles, and asking for advice on their next career move. During these conversations,  I repeatedly heard that when searching for a new role there seems to be a subtle but definite trend of ageism creeping in. This came through in job adverts and even the hiring processes. It seems some companies seem to be letting the year someone was born cloud their judgment when it comes to assessing suitability for a job.

People felt that ageism wasn’t taken as seriously as other forms of discrimination. An example of this is reflected in this quote from a respondent:

“…ageism. This is the only type of discrimination that has not been addressed. Religion, race, gender, and sexual orientation have all been addressed but no one cares about ageism” or is just not thought of at all, as another commented, “ageism appears to be a growing but sadly unrecognised form of discrimination”

This was further backed up by other respondents’ comments:

“I am concerned about possible age discrimination, which is difficult to prove, and whether this might affect my job search.” it’s not just happening in the UK either, “Speaking about France, there is a blockage to hiring people over 45 years old”. We hadn’t anticipated such a strong opinion on ageism in our survey. This suggests that it’s a growing concern.

The Hiring Process

A poll conducted by YouGov showed that, since turning 50, 14% of over-50s who are in work believe they have been denied a job due to their age and nearly one in five (18%) have or have considered hiding their date of birth when applying for jobs. Almost half (46%) believe when applying for a job, that their age would be a disadvantage and one in five think that they were viewed by others as less than capable.

Figures from the Department for Work and Pensions show that just over half the people won’t be working the year before retirement age. The report predicts that if businesses don’t retain and hire older workers they could face a shortage in skills and experience. If older staff leave there won’t be enough younger candidates to replace them.

Older candidates seem to be more vulnerable to the harmful effects of ageism. However, this doesn’t mean younger candidates don’t experience these effects either. In a United Nations Study on ageism, the negative labels attached to younger candidates were ‘disloyal’, ‘easily distracted’ and ‘entitled’. Also, younger candidates can have issues when it comes to salary and benefits, specifically younger women. The issue of ageism is apparent from the beginning of a job hunt, in the job adverts themselves. The way an advert is worded can hint at whether a role is being marketed for a younger or older candidate. Examples include:

• Asking for a certain amount of years of experience
• Asking for recent graduates
• Using words such as ‘dynamic’, ‘energetic’ or ‘mature’, and ‘experienced’.

Companies need to start considering the effect these words have on the candidates that they’ll miss out on.

How can a recruiter help?

At Harvey John, we look to combat and challenge this when and where we can. Here is a brilliant example of how we have helped in the past:

One of our consultants placed an older candidate with a ‘young’ and ‘dynamic’ (there are those words again!) company. They initially overlooked his CV, stating he was ‘overqualified’ for the role, but our consultant challenged this viewpoint and persuaded them to see him. He’d been out of work for a while. He wanted to step back in at a slightly more junior level –  they saw him, loved him and now he is doing well! 

Our consultant gave the candidate some sound advice for the interview –  to discuss his longevity and loyalty, as he’d been with companies a long time.  This can sometimes help to combat the ageists out there, as (not to stereotype the younger generation) it indicates they may not be as much of a flight risk as their younger counterparts. It also means they bring in a vast amount of experience from other businesses.

We are also aware that we don’t have all the answers and we aren’t perfect. However, we are ready and eager to learn how we can help. Our report provided insight and suggestions on how to tackle discrimination when it comes to hiring practices. But, there is still a long way to go to tackle ageism. We take this very seriously at Harvey John but as this quote so aptly states ‘skills can be learned, diversity cannot‘.

So no matter:

• How old you are
• Your economic background
• How you identify by race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation

We are here to guide our clients and candidates through the recruitment process in a fair, equal and balanced way.