Even though the United States and the world are feeling the effects of tight labor markets and labor shortages, job seekers aged 45 years and older are finding it difficult to get hired, specifically for entry-level and mid-career positions. So how does this make any sense? The labor market is as tight and competitive amongst employers as it has been in recent history; why should any job seeker be turned away for open roles?
Generation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help underserved people better prepare themselves for career advancement opportunities, recently generated a report based on a large global study. The report brought several concerning statistics to light after collecting data from more than 3800 participants of employed, unemployed, and hiring managers across seven nations.
The study, called Meeting the World’s Midcareer Moment, has shown those job seekers from 45-to 60 have a much harder time securing employment in entry-level and mid-career positions than those in other age demographics. The difficulties experienced by this age group are due to many factors. However, those that stand out most prominently include biases of hiring managers, lack of training, and lack of certifications required for positions.
In a tight labor market, employers’ reluctance to hire job seekers in these age groups becomes even more glaring once the data is presented. According to the report, 63% of job seekers 45 years or older have experienced unemployment for more than a year vs. only 36% of the 18-to-24-year-old job seekers.
Reorienting Recruitment Practices
Unfair biases are working against people of certain age groups seeking new employment opportunities, but it does not have to be that way. Employers and recruiters across all industries need to realize the solution to many of their hiring challenges can be found in the age groups that are being ignored. These jobseekers are being “filtered out” for what is believed they don’t have instead of being “screened in” for the experience and skills they do have.
Hiring managers can help businesses meet their recruitment goals by garnering greater visibility for open positions and strategically targeting job seekers in an age demographic that is too often overlooked.
Jobiak has worked for years helping businesses and recruiters rethink how they allocate effort with online job data. Poorly optimized job posts garner less visibility through Google and do not immediately provide the information that job seekers find attractive. For example, a business can provide training and certification opportunity details right within the job post without forcing prospects to jump through hoops.
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