older workers – News, Research and Analysis – The Conversation

July 24, 2020

Yes Ita, younger workers might actually be less resilient. But all workers should be thanked

Peter O'Connor, Queensland University of Technology

Ita Buttrose may be right. The evidence does suggest younger workers are less resilient. But we shouldn't make too much of it.

Mary-Lou McCullagh, 83, inside her Ventura, California home, in isolation because of COVID-19. She and her husband Bob, 84, greet the little boy who lives across the street. Getty Images / Brent Stirton

May 6, 2020

Out with the old: Coronavirus highlights why we need new names for aging

Caroline Cicero, University of Southern California and Paul Nash, University of Southern California

What's in a word? Plenty, when it comes to the choices we use to describe people over 60. Stigma against older people that has been evident during the COVID-19 pandemic shows why it's time to change.

A key reason for deciding to retire has to do with getting tired at and through work, how that tiredness affects partners and families. www.shutterstock.com

November 20, 2019

There’s a yawning gap in the plan to keep older Australians working

Andreas Cebulla

The federal government wants more older people to keep working. Our research suggests this requires dramatically reconfiguring work options.

Australia’s unspoken antipathy to experience is not new, but contrasts sharply with the attitude found in other countries such as the US. Wes Mountain/The Conversation

January 31, 2019

How Australia’s political ageism may be robbing us of our best leaders

Mark Kenny, Australian National University

A corrosive ageism in Australian politics overvalues the new, while discounting experience. If the US and UK can see the value in older politicians, why can't we?

While the federal government promotes the employment of older people through the jobactive network, in practice it’s not working well for them. Australian Government/jobactive

July 2, 2018

Employment services aren’t working for older jobseekers, jobactive staff or employers

Dina Bowman, University of Melbourne

A two-year study finds dissatisfaction with current arrangements, but also identifies small changes that can make a big difference in helping to find suitable jobs for older workers.

Young job seekers are more likely to be registered with Centrelink than older job seekers, while those aged 25 and over tended to rely more on social networks and employment agencies when looking for work. Amtec Staffing/Flickr

December 4, 2017

Young people still find it hard to get a job, despite using the same tactics as older job seekers

Dina Bowman, University of Melbourne and Francisco Azpitarte, University of Melbourne

Young and old job seekers use the same methods to look for work, but young people have the highest unemployment rates.

Young people expect that older adults actively make way for younger generations, such as by retiring. Neil Moralee/Flickr

March 9, 2017

Young workers expect their older colleagues to get out of the way

Michael North, New York University

Research demonstrates the younger generation do see the older generation as competitors but we can change this adversarial relationship in the workplace.

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