How to land a job as an older Aussie

Australia’s unemployment rate is relatively low in comparison to recent decades, at 4.2 per cent. It’s a fair bit lower than the 6.6 per cent average since 1978. And it’s way below its December 1992 peak of 11.2 per cent. That’s good news for our country but it’s probably of little comfort to a jobseeker struggling to land employment. And it’s likely even less comfort to older Australians, who may feel it’s even harder to find a job.

So what can mature-age Aussies do to give themselves a better chance of landing the job for which they’re applying? Not-for-profit group the Analysis and Policy Observatory (APO) has put together a report it hopes will help answer that question. Mature age workers and the labour market is aimed at assisting mature-age jobseekers in finding employment. 

To do this they surveyed employers, asking why they thought mature-age applicants were successful or not in getting the job. It also looked at strategies employers extended to successful mature-age candidates, and whether these were available to all staff.

Getting a job as an older Australian

Just over one-third of employers reported having a mature-age applicant in the previous year, the APO found. Interestingly, this was most common in larger businesses and those in the retail trade industry.

From these they gleaned the following key findings:

• Employers commonly hired a mature-age applicant because of their experience, positive attitude, strong work ethic and qualifications and/or skills.
• Experience and qualification and/or skills were some of the reasons mature-age candidates were not hired for the vacancy.
• Offering flexible work conditions was the most common strategy employers used to support mature-age workers they’d hired. In general, this meant flexible work hours, part-time hours, and flexible location such as working from home. 

What employers like about older Aussies

The perception of having a strong work ethic and good skill sets was a factor in some employers favouring older Australians. One retail business respondent said: “They [older people] have a good work ethic, and we can rely on them.”

One employer reported having “quite a few mature-age staff”. The employer, based in real estate, said: “We like employing them because they have a good skill set.”

Those who missed out on the job

Overwhelmingly, the employers surveyed said mature-age Aussies who failed to secure a job did so for reasons unrelated to age. The most common reasons were a lack of relevant experience, qualifications and/or skills, or they simply lost out to a better candidate.

However, some of the less common justifications could be perceived as age related. Among those were “health/fitness issues”, “overqualified” and “lacked computer skills”.

One notable finding in the report was that surveyed employers made little use of mature-age government support or subsidies. When hiring a mature-age applicant, only 2 per cent of employers utilised any type of government support or subsidies.

The few who did used the Workforce Incentive Program, Workforce Australia Wage Subsidies, the Australian Apprenticeships Incentive Program and/or the Disability Employment Services program.

Unfortunately, the APO survey did not ask employers who did not access the incentives why they did not. However, some respondents gave a clue, with 3 per cent volunteering that they believed they were not eligible for any assistance. A further 2 per cent stated that they were not aware of any programs that might be available. 

While these seem like very small numbers, it should be remembered that the respondents volunteered those reasons without being asked. Had the question of why been put to all participants, the figures would almost certainly have been much higher.

What can you do as an older jobseeker?

Ensuring prospective employers are made aware of all of your skills and strong work ethic would be a good start. However, making them aware of the potential government support available to them might raise your chances further.

There are several support programs on top of those mentioned here by the employers, including a wage subsidy scheme. Familiarising yourself with these via the federal government’s Mature Age Hub and passing on that knowledge could make the difference.

Are you an older Australian who has recently applied for a job? How was your experience? Let us know via the comments section below.

Also read: Red tape hinders return to work plans
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