Senior trainees help improve the nationwide skills shortages – but ageism is still a major issue
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One of the biggest issues that Australia is facing today is the shortage of workers. As the country’s employment rate nears an all-time low, the labour market is convincing older citizens to take new courses and switch career paths – in hopes of increasing their employability.
However, ageism is still very much alive and one mature trainee has spoken up about his first-hand experience with it.
At the start of the pandemic, the company that Jeremey Murray was working for struggled to survive.
Unsatisfied with JobKeeper and plagued with more difficulties finding an opportunity in the corporate world–which he blames on his age–the 56-year-old had a lightbulb moment and decided to switch from handling spreadsheets to baking sheets.
Jeremey took the risk and switched careers. Source: ABC News (Australia)
‘I thought “Well, I've always loved to bake, I've always loved to cook, why don't I see if I can make it a career?”.’
Mr Murray signed up for an 18-month patisserie training course. He still has a few more theory units to conquer but is already running a successful baking business from home.
‘They're crying out for pastry chefs. So in many ways, I get to choose where I want to work.’ he added.
‘There's still challenges ahead but I'm enjoying what I'm doing, so I can't ask for more.’
He's among the growing number of Australians re-skilling and swapping careers later in life.
In Western Australia, which has the lowest unemployment rate in the country, over 4,000 of the state's apprentices and trainees are over the age of 45. This figure has doubled in the past two years.
It's a similar case when applied on a national level as mature apprentices and trainees have increased by up to 70 per cent since the pandemic. Researchers stated that this isn’t surprising as older generations have long proven how well they can adapt to different work environments.
‘This is the generation that innovated a lot of changes in the workforce – that we're now reaping the benefit of.’ explained Amanda Davies, Head of UWA's School of Social Sciences.
‘When we look at the baby boomer cohort, it's distinctly different from previous generations that may have stayed in a job or had the attitude of staying in one sector of employment for a very long time.’ Professor Davies said.
‘We already have 20 years or so of data that shows that the baby boomer generation has led the way in having multiple careers across their working life.’
Baby boomers tend to have multiple careers throughout their working life. Source: BAI
Sally Mlikota runs a recruitment agency in Cairns. She claimed that about half of the people looking to join their team are over 45 years old, a number that has soared since the start of the pandemic.
Several mature-age workers are taking advantage of government schemes and other resources to upskill.
‘We're not talking about someone who's been a baker all their life, all of a sudden becoming an accountant.’ Ms Mlikota said.
‘We're talking about someone who's perhaps worked in an office, but never specialised in finance, or they might have been a teacher and they've got the communication skills but now they're adapting to work in an office.’
Ms Mlikota added that the pandemic left thousands to re-evaluate their careers and their retirements.
‘We had a low-interest rate, so people's pensions weren't paying as much as they were hoping,’ she said. ‘Plus, people get bored quite quickly and want to get back to work.’
Ageism is still rampant in Australia. Source: Premier Talent Partners
Even though there’s a significant demand from older Australians to stay in the workforce, reports of ageism are still rife.
Mr Murray admitted that he experienced discrimination when he was looking for work, even though he’s highly experienced and has acquired three degrees.
‘They're too clever to ever say “you're too old” because it's against the law to say that, but you can pick it up in the body language.’ he recalled.
‘There's a lot of anecdotal evidence, but what we do see is people being underemployed, and that is an indicator that it's still a significant issue.’ Professor Davies said.
Researchers and recruiters warned that ignoring this surge of potential workers can be detrimental to Australian businesses and the economy.
‘There's a lot of benefits in hiring someone more mature.’ Ms Mlikota reassured. ‘Sweeping statement here, but they tend to be more reliable.’
Professor Davies also pointed out that our ageing population worsens the issue.
Mature workers can be beneficial to businesses and the economy. Source: Brian Lamy
‘We're going to lose knowledge and skill sets from the workforce and it's difficult to see how that can be replaced very meaningfully.’
Recruiters and researchers revealed that a key way to keep older people engaged in the workforce is to provide flexibility.
‘We've seen a lot of workplaces transition to enable people to work from home or to work part-time setups. These setups can help enable older workers to remain very active in the workforce and engaged in meaningful work.’ Professor Davies said.
Ms Mlikota shared that recruiters can also help mature-age job seekers to position themselves in a way that would increase their chances of being hired. But she agreed that employers also need to be more flexible.
‘You're going to have to be a bit more adaptable and you're going to have to keep up with the times, otherwise, your business is going to be the one missing out.’
What are your thoughts about this article? Have you ever switched careers later in life? If you’re working now or have attempted to apply for jobs, have you ever been discriminated against for your age? Share your stories with us in the comments.
Learn more about Jeremey Murray’s story by watching the video below:
Source: ABC News (Australia)
However, ageism is still very much alive and one mature trainee has spoken up about his first-hand experience with it.
At the start of the pandemic, the company that Jeremey Murray was working for struggled to survive.
Unsatisfied with JobKeeper and plagued with more difficulties finding an opportunity in the corporate world–which he blames on his age–the 56-year-old had a lightbulb moment and decided to switch from handling spreadsheets to baking sheets.
Jeremey took the risk and switched careers. Source: ABC News (Australia)
‘I thought “Well, I've always loved to bake, I've always loved to cook, why don't I see if I can make it a career?”.’
Mr Murray signed up for an 18-month patisserie training course. He still has a few more theory units to conquer but is already running a successful baking business from home.
‘They're crying out for pastry chefs. So in many ways, I get to choose where I want to work.’ he added.
‘There's still challenges ahead but I'm enjoying what I'm doing, so I can't ask for more.’
He's among the growing number of Australians re-skilling and swapping careers later in life.
In Western Australia, which has the lowest unemployment rate in the country, over 4,000 of the state's apprentices and trainees are over the age of 45. This figure has doubled in the past two years.
It's a similar case when applied on a national level as mature apprentices and trainees have increased by up to 70 per cent since the pandemic. Researchers stated that this isn’t surprising as older generations have long proven how well they can adapt to different work environments.
‘This is the generation that innovated a lot of changes in the workforce – that we're now reaping the benefit of.’ explained Amanda Davies, Head of UWA's School of Social Sciences.
‘When we look at the baby boomer cohort, it's distinctly different from previous generations that may have stayed in a job or had the attitude of staying in one sector of employment for a very long time.’ Professor Davies said.
‘We already have 20 years or so of data that shows that the baby boomer generation has led the way in having multiple careers across their working life.’
Baby boomers tend to have multiple careers throughout their working life. Source: BAI
Sally Mlikota runs a recruitment agency in Cairns. She claimed that about half of the people looking to join their team are over 45 years old, a number that has soared since the start of the pandemic.
Several mature-age workers are taking advantage of government schemes and other resources to upskill.
‘We're not talking about someone who's been a baker all their life, all of a sudden becoming an accountant.’ Ms Mlikota said.
‘We're talking about someone who's perhaps worked in an office, but never specialised in finance, or they might have been a teacher and they've got the communication skills but now they're adapting to work in an office.’
Ms Mlikota added that the pandemic left thousands to re-evaluate their careers and their retirements.
‘We had a low-interest rate, so people's pensions weren't paying as much as they were hoping,’ she said. ‘Plus, people get bored quite quickly and want to get back to work.’
Ageism is still rampant in Australia. Source: Premier Talent Partners
Even though there’s a significant demand from older Australians to stay in the workforce, reports of ageism are still rife.
Mr Murray admitted that he experienced discrimination when he was looking for work, even though he’s highly experienced and has acquired three degrees.
‘They're too clever to ever say “you're too old” because it's against the law to say that, but you can pick it up in the body language.’ he recalled.
‘There's a lot of anecdotal evidence, but what we do see is people being underemployed, and that is an indicator that it's still a significant issue.’ Professor Davies said.
Researchers and recruiters warned that ignoring this surge of potential workers can be detrimental to Australian businesses and the economy.
‘There's a lot of benefits in hiring someone more mature.’ Ms Mlikota reassured. ‘Sweeping statement here, but they tend to be more reliable.’
Professor Davies also pointed out that our ageing population worsens the issue.
Mature workers can be beneficial to businesses and the economy. Source: Brian Lamy
‘We're going to lose knowledge and skill sets from the workforce and it's difficult to see how that can be replaced very meaningfully.’
Recruiters and researchers revealed that a key way to keep older people engaged in the workforce is to provide flexibility.
‘We've seen a lot of workplaces transition to enable people to work from home or to work part-time setups. These setups can help enable older workers to remain very active in the workforce and engaged in meaningful work.’ Professor Davies said.
Ms Mlikota shared that recruiters can also help mature-age job seekers to position themselves in a way that would increase their chances of being hired. But she agreed that employers also need to be more flexible.
‘You're going to have to be a bit more adaptable and you're going to have to keep up with the times, otherwise, your business is going to be the one missing out.’
What are your thoughts about this article? Have you ever switched careers later in life? If you’re working now or have attempted to apply for jobs, have you ever been discriminated against for your age? Share your stories with us in the comments.
Learn more about Jeremey Murray’s story by watching the video below:
Source: ABC News (Australia)
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