Companies that are reluctant to employ mature-age workers will need to ditch their ageist philosophies if they are to remain competitive in the market, a recruiter says.
Executive General Manager of Recruitment Solutions Lorraine Christopher said Australian companies ignore mature-age workers at their loss.
"Clearly (companies) have some adjustments to make if they are to adapt and be competitive in the recruitment market in decades to come," she said.
"Employers need to understand that it is no more costly to make a mature-age worker job ready than a young person or graduate.
"Indeed, in many respects, mature employees present a lower risk, and therefore less costly, recruitment option."
An ageing population suggests Australia will face a labour shortage in a couple of decades, despite the government's new superannuation incentives for those of retirement age to stay in the work force longer.
Mature age employment in Australia is a major concern for National Seniors Association (NSA), Australia's organisation for over 50s.
"The challenge for government is to tackle the current problem of mature age unemployment and create an environment which encourages older people to continue working," NSA said.
NSA chief executive Michael O'Neill said while there is a lot of talk about getting seniors back into the workforce, there remains a preference for younger employees.
"(Companies) see a greater investment in a younger person ... and in theory you are likely to get a better payoff with a younger person than with a more mature-aged person," he said.
"However, given the labour market pressures at the moment and the skills shortage issue, the light bulb will go off sooner or later that says these (seniors) are a big part of our potential workforce ... and are people that bring a whole range of positive skills."
The unemployment rate is at a three-decade low and skills shortages are keeping the upward pressure on wages, so firms will need to start broadening their employment horizons.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the median age of Australians is now 36.4 and increasing.
The ABS projects that by 2051, more than 25 per cent of Australians will be over 65, and nearly half of the population will be over 50 years.
The proportion of the working-age population is projected to decline from 67 per cent in 2004 to between 57-59 per cent in the same period.
With the landscape of the workforce changing rapidly, Ms Christopher says it's time for workers to also change their expectations.
"While more opportunities will become available for people in the 50-plus bracket, it may no longer be the case that they can rely on their companies to keep them skilled and trained to the required level," she said.
Recent research from strategic diversity management consultant, Diversity@Work, suggests that two thirds of human resource executives do not offer training for mature workers as an incentive to upgrade skills.
"Workers will have to be proactive, and take on responsibility themselves, for attaining or maintaining the skills likely to be in demand," she said.
Ms Christopher said mature-age workers need to stay abreast of the industry's skill requirements and be flexible and open-minded.
"Objectively assess your own personal skills, attitude and aptitude," she said.
"Be honest with yourself - what are you good at? What would you like to be better at? How employable am I now, and in five or 10 years time?," she said.
Mr O'Neill said clerical, banking, or retail jobs such as Australia Post or government agencies are likely to be more receptive to mature-age workers.
"At Bunnings, for example, there are opportunities for senior Australians to use their life skills and experience to pass on to people," he said.
The NSA will also launch a senior skills database in the new year where mature-age workers can get matched to potential employers.
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