Latest news with #SuhiniWijayasinghe
The Advertiser
3 days ago
- Business
- The Advertiser
If you're over 65 years of age you have a 'slim chance' of this happening
A recruitment firm has found that most Australians in its survey believe employers rarely or never hire people near or past the age of retirement and those over 65 years of age are generally excluded from employment. A survey by people2people found that was despite a growing demand for skilled workers and a shrinking, younger workforce. Younger Australians were also preparing themselves to be working longer due to cost-of-living pressures and wage growth stagnation, the survey found. People2people head of HR solutions Suhini Wijayasinghe told ACM, the publisher of this masthead, that in her 15 years at the frontline of recruitment, ageism was still an ongoing issue. "When we are putting a suitable candidate, they might have a wealth of experience, be consistent, reliable but there seems to be this stereotype that they won't be able to adapt, they won't want to adapt or potentially that they will want to be a leader and be perceived as a threat," she said. Ms Wijayasinghe said this mindset was misguided because older candidates are typically the most pragmatic. "They are realistic," she said. "They want the consistency of going to work, they don't necessarily seek to climb the ladder." "Employers should know that older people might give workforces the stability and longevity they need. "They also understand the pressures businesses face and how remuneration may be impacted." Addressing ageism in the workforce was an economic imperative, she noted. "Baby boomers are heading to retirement, and Gen X is at senior levels, getting closer to retirement," she said. "We have to accept the fact that our mindset has to change because we simply don't have enough young people to replace the outgoing generation." By 2066, it is projected that older people will make up between 21 per cent and 23 per cent of the total Australian population, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found. Australia's birth rate is also dangerously low, at 1.5 babies for every Australian adult woman. "Inaction on age inclusion isn't just unfair - it's economically unsustainable," said Ms Wijayasinghe. She said Australia was facing a situation "where the workforce is about to fall off the face of a cliff". Ms Wijayasinghe advised older workers to "play the game and understand what the bias is" when preparing for job interviews. "They need to be preemptive and provide context to whoever the prospective employer is", she said. This includes making their expectations clear that they see the job as a long-term opportunity, not a stepping stone to a more senior position, as well as having a realistic discussion around remuneration. "They should also show openness about being willing to receive feedback from someone more junior to them and to learning new things to alleviate the sense of competition," she said. She said an employer cannot legally ask a candidate their age but was usually able to deduce it from a candidate's resume. A recruitment firm has found that most Australians in its survey believe employers rarely or never hire people near or past the age of retirement and those over 65 years of age are generally excluded from employment. A survey by people2people found that was despite a growing demand for skilled workers and a shrinking, younger workforce. Younger Australians were also preparing themselves to be working longer due to cost-of-living pressures and wage growth stagnation, the survey found. People2people head of HR solutions Suhini Wijayasinghe told ACM, the publisher of this masthead, that in her 15 years at the frontline of recruitment, ageism was still an ongoing issue. "When we are putting a suitable candidate, they might have a wealth of experience, be consistent, reliable but there seems to be this stereotype that they won't be able to adapt, they won't want to adapt or potentially that they will want to be a leader and be perceived as a threat," she said. Ms Wijayasinghe said this mindset was misguided because older candidates are typically the most pragmatic. "They are realistic," she said. "They want the consistency of going to work, they don't necessarily seek to climb the ladder." "Employers should know that older people might give workforces the stability and longevity they need. "They also understand the pressures businesses face and how remuneration may be impacted." Addressing ageism in the workforce was an economic imperative, she noted. "Baby boomers are heading to retirement, and Gen X is at senior levels, getting closer to retirement," she said. "We have to accept the fact that our mindset has to change because we simply don't have enough young people to replace the outgoing generation." By 2066, it is projected that older people will make up between 21 per cent and 23 per cent of the total Australian population, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found. Australia's birth rate is also dangerously low, at 1.5 babies for every Australian adult woman. "Inaction on age inclusion isn't just unfair - it's economically unsustainable," said Ms Wijayasinghe. She said Australia was facing a situation "where the workforce is about to fall off the face of a cliff". Ms Wijayasinghe advised older workers to "play the game and understand what the bias is" when preparing for job interviews. "They need to be preemptive and provide context to whoever the prospective employer is", she said. This includes making their expectations clear that they see the job as a long-term opportunity, not a stepping stone to a more senior position, as well as having a realistic discussion around remuneration. "They should also show openness about being willing to receive feedback from someone more junior to them and to learning new things to alleviate the sense of competition," she said. She said an employer cannot legally ask a candidate their age but was usually able to deduce it from a candidate's resume. A recruitment firm has found that most Australians in its survey believe employers rarely or never hire people near or past the age of retirement and those over 65 years of age are generally excluded from employment. A survey by people2people found that was despite a growing demand for skilled workers and a shrinking, younger workforce. Younger Australians were also preparing themselves to be working longer due to cost-of-living pressures and wage growth stagnation, the survey found. People2people head of HR solutions Suhini Wijayasinghe told ACM, the publisher of this masthead, that in her 15 years at the frontline of recruitment, ageism was still an ongoing issue. "When we are putting a suitable candidate, they might have a wealth of experience, be consistent, reliable but there seems to be this stereotype that they won't be able to adapt, they won't want to adapt or potentially that they will want to be a leader and be perceived as a threat," she said. Ms Wijayasinghe said this mindset was misguided because older candidates are typically the most pragmatic. "They are realistic," she said. "They want the consistency of going to work, they don't necessarily seek to climb the ladder." "Employers should know that older people might give workforces the stability and longevity they need. "They also understand the pressures businesses face and how remuneration may be impacted." Addressing ageism in the workforce was an economic imperative, she noted. "Baby boomers are heading to retirement, and Gen X is at senior levels, getting closer to retirement," she said. "We have to accept the fact that our mindset has to change because we simply don't have enough young people to replace the outgoing generation." By 2066, it is projected that older people will make up between 21 per cent and 23 per cent of the total Australian population, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found. Australia's birth rate is also dangerously low, at 1.5 babies for every Australian adult woman. "Inaction on age inclusion isn't just unfair - it's economically unsustainable," said Ms Wijayasinghe. She said Australia was facing a situation "where the workforce is about to fall off the face of a cliff". Ms Wijayasinghe advised older workers to "play the game and understand what the bias is" when preparing for job interviews. "They need to be preemptive and provide context to whoever the prospective employer is", she said. This includes making their expectations clear that they see the job as a long-term opportunity, not a stepping stone to a more senior position, as well as having a realistic discussion around remuneration. "They should also show openness about being willing to receive feedback from someone more junior to them and to learning new things to alleviate the sense of competition," she said. She said an employer cannot legally ask a candidate their age but was usually able to deduce it from a candidate's resume. A recruitment firm has found that most Australians in its survey believe employers rarely or never hire people near or past the age of retirement and those over 65 years of age are generally excluded from employment. A survey by people2people found that was despite a growing demand for skilled workers and a shrinking, younger workforce. Younger Australians were also preparing themselves to be working longer due to cost-of-living pressures and wage growth stagnation, the survey found. People2people head of HR solutions Suhini Wijayasinghe told ACM, the publisher of this masthead, that in her 15 years at the frontline of recruitment, ageism was still an ongoing issue. "When we are putting a suitable candidate, they might have a wealth of experience, be consistent, reliable but there seems to be this stereotype that they won't be able to adapt, they won't want to adapt or potentially that they will want to be a leader and be perceived as a threat," she said. Ms Wijayasinghe said this mindset was misguided because older candidates are typically the most pragmatic. "They are realistic," she said. "They want the consistency of going to work, they don't necessarily seek to climb the ladder." "Employers should know that older people might give workforces the stability and longevity they need. "They also understand the pressures businesses face and how remuneration may be impacted." Addressing ageism in the workforce was an economic imperative, she noted. "Baby boomers are heading to retirement, and Gen X is at senior levels, getting closer to retirement," she said. "We have to accept the fact that our mindset has to change because we simply don't have enough young people to replace the outgoing generation." By 2066, it is projected that older people will make up between 21 per cent and 23 per cent of the total Australian population, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found. Australia's birth rate is also dangerously low, at 1.5 babies for every Australian adult woman. "Inaction on age inclusion isn't just unfair - it's economically unsustainable," said Ms Wijayasinghe. She said Australia was facing a situation "where the workforce is about to fall off the face of a cliff". Ms Wijayasinghe advised older workers to "play the game and understand what the bias is" when preparing for job interviews. "They need to be preemptive and provide context to whoever the prospective employer is", she said. This includes making their expectations clear that they see the job as a long-term opportunity, not a stepping stone to a more senior position, as well as having a realistic discussion around remuneration. "They should also show openness about being willing to receive feedback from someone more junior to them and to learning new things to alleviate the sense of competition," she said. She said an employer cannot legally ask a candidate their age but was usually able to deduce it from a candidate's resume.
West Australian
4 days ago
- Business
- West Australian
‘Prepared for the reality': Young Aussies expect to work until their 70s
The Boomers are the last generation of Australians who feel semi-confident about being able to retire, with younger people saying they will work until they drop. New data released by People2People shows only 7 per cent of Gen Z and 8 per cent of Millennials believe they will one day be able to retire. The outlook is so grim that three in five older Aussies even think young Australians will never be able to stop working, something that the majority of younger Australians agree with. People2People head of HR solutions Suhini Wijayasinghe says the data should be a wake-up call for Australians. 'Younger generations aren't just adjusting expectations, they're preparing for the reality of working longer,' she said. Younger Australians are not just expecting to work for longer, they also believe they will be able to work into their 70s. More than half of the younger Australians asked said they can work until at least 70 while 38 per cent say they can work into their late 70s. People2People survey data follows the ABS latest seasonable unemployment data which shows the unemployment rate remained at 4.1 per cent despite 89,000 new Aussies finding a job in April. The addition of 6000 unemployed people meant the labour force grew by 95,000 people and the participation rate rose by 0.3 percentage points to 67.1 per cent. The participation rate for 35-44 year olds had the largest annual growth, up 1.9 percentage points to 88.3 per cent. Despite the growing expectation of having to work for longer, around a third of Australians across all generations are still hoping to be able to exit the workforce by the age of 65. But keeping a job for these young Australians could prove problematic. According to the survey data nine in 10 Australians believe employers rarely or never higher people near or past retirement with a third saying Australians over 65 have virtually no chance of getting a job. 'We have an ageing population and a declining birthrate,' Ms Wijayasinghe said. 'Inaction on age inclusion isn't just unfair, it's economically unsustainable. Creating age-inclusive workplaces is no longer optional. It's a strategic imperative. 'As the workforce evolves, so must employer mindsets. 'Ending ageism isn't just about ticking boxes, it's about fostering inclusive cultures where employees of all ages can thrive, contribute, and feel genuinely valued.'
Perth Now
4 days ago
- Business
- Perth Now
Young Aussies tipped to work until they drop
The Boomers are the last generation of Australians who feel semi-confident about being able to retire, with younger people saying they will work until they drop. New data released by People2People shows only 7 per cent of Gen Z and 8 per cent of Millennials believe they will one day be able to retire. The outlook is so grim that three in five older Aussies even think young Australians will never be able to stop working, something that the majority of younger Australians agree with. People2People head of HR solutions Suhini Wijayasinghe says the data should be a wake-up call for Australians. Aussies workers now believe they will need to work until their late 70s. NewsWire / Dan Peled Credit: News Corp Australia 'Younger generations aren't just adjusting expectations, they're preparing for the reality of working longer,' she said. Younger Australians are not just expecting to work for longer, they also believe they will be able to work into their 70s. More than half of the younger Australians asked said they can work until at least 70 while 38 per cent say they can work into their late 70s. People2People survey data follows the ABS latest seasonable unemployment data which shows the unemployment rate remained at 4.1 per cent despite 89,000 new Aussies finding a job in April. The addition of 6000 unemployed people meant the labour force grew by 95,000 people and the participation rate rose by 0.3 percentage points to 67.1 per cent. The participation rate for 35-44 year olds had the largest annual growth, up 1.9 percentage points to 88.3 per cent. Australian workers are looking to stay employed for longer. NewsWire / Nicki Connolly Credit: News Corp Australia Despite the growing expectation of having to work for longer, around a third of Australians across all generations are still hoping to be able to exit the workforce by the age of 65. But keeping a job for these young Australians could prove problematic. According to the survey data nine in 10 Australians believe employers rarely or never higher people near or past retirement with a third saying Australians over 65 have virtually no chance of getting a job. 'We have an ageing population and a declining birthrate,' Ms Wijayasinghe said. 'Inaction on age inclusion isn't just unfair, it's economically unsustainable. Creating age-inclusive workplaces is no longer optional. It's a strategic imperative. 'As the workforce evolves, so must employer mindsets. 'Ending ageism isn't just about ticking boxes, it's about fostering inclusive cultures where employees of all ages can thrive, contribute, and feel genuinely valued.'
News.com.au
4 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
‘Prepared for the reality': Young Aussies expect to work until their 70s
The Boomers are the last generation of Australians who feel semi-confident about being able to retire, with younger people saying they will work until they drop. New data released by People2People shows only 7 per cent of Gen Z and 8 per cent of Millennials believe they will one day be able to retire. The outlook is so grim that three in five older Aussies even think young Australians will never be able to stop working, something that the majority of younger Australians agree with. People2People head of HR solutions Suhini Wijayasinghe says the data should be a wake-up call for Australians. 'Younger generations aren't just adjusting expectations, they're preparing for the reality of working longer,' she said. Younger Australians are not just expecting to work for longer, they also believe they will be able to work into their 70s. More than half of the younger Australians asked said they can work until at least 70 while 38 per cent say they can work into their late 70s. People2People survey data follows the ABS latest seasonable unemployment data which shows the unemployment rate remained at 4.1 per cent despite 89,000 new Aussies finding a job in April. The addition of 6000 unemployed people meant the labour force grew by 95,000 people and the participation rate rose by 0.3 percentage points to 67.1 per cent. The participation rate for 35-44 year olds had the largest annual growth, up 1.9 percentage points to 88.3 per cent. Despite the growing expectation of having to work for longer, around a third of Australians across all generations are still hoping to be able to exit the workforce by the age of 65. But keeping a job for these young Australians could prove problematic. According to the survey data nine in 10 Australians believe employers rarely or never higher people near or past retirement with a third saying Australians over 65 have virtually no chance of getting a job. 'We have an ageing population and a declining birthrate,' Ms Wijayasinghe said. 'Inaction on age inclusion isn't just unfair, it's economically unsustainable. Creating age-inclusive workplaces is no longer optional. It's a strategic imperative. 'As the workforce evolves, so must employer mindsets. 'Ending ageism isn't just about ticking boxes, it's about fostering inclusive cultures where employees of all ages can thrive, contribute, and feel genuinely valued.'
