THE NATIONAL SENIORS Association (NSA) recently lashed out at claims that the rapidly ageing population was a crisis in waiting, and instead encouraged businesses to look upon it as an opportunity
THE NATIONAL SENIORS Association (NSA) recently lashed out at claims that the rapidly ageing population was a crisis in waiting, and instead encouraged businesses to look upon it as an opportunity.
NSA chairman Everald Compton said seniors were “insulted” by statements from politicians such as Treasurer Peter Costello, which inferred they were an economic dead weight on the future of Australia.
“They’re saying there’s a crisis simply because we’re getting older,” he said. “What we’re saying is that all you have to do is give senior people the chance to be productive.”
Treasurer Costello recently said that taxpayers would face a huge financial burden in caring for the elderly over the next 40 years, as the number of Australians aged over 65 would more than double.
Compton said that when the compulsory retirement age was set at 65 in the early 20th century, most people were expected to die at that age. However life expectancy has increased to 85 thanks to advances in modern medical science.
It was “extraordinarily hard” for seniors to get jobs, according to Compton, especially while employers were still forcing people to retire in their 50s.
He said seniors regularly suffered age discrimination in the workplace, and instead encouraged employers to look upon them as an “enormous untapped resource out there that can be released in the community”.
“There should be no such thing as a retirement age and anyone who wants to work or not work makes that decision for themselves,” he said.
“All we need is a long-term plan to harness the productivity of the senior people in Australia.”
Compton, who is a company director and sits on four boards at 72 years of age, said that “whenever a politician gets up and says there’s a crisis on, they lose the votes of older people.
“When they get up and say we want to help older people make a productive contribution to the nation in a very positive way, they win them.”
However Federal Employment Services Minister Mal Brough said that seniors need to be more aware of their options and opportunities to rejoin or remain in the workforce.
He said the Government would promote the benefits of working longer to assist in slowing down the early retirement rates of employees, and wanted to overcome entrenched stereotypes about older workers.
“Employers need to be more aware of the benefits of retaining and recruiting older workers in the face of impending labour supply shortages,” he said.
“We need to do more to retain and continue to use the skills and the experience of mature age workers.”
As part of a $12.1 million budget boost for mature age employment as part of a Mature Age Employment and Workplace Strategy, Minister Brough said a package of measures will further target mature age workers, employers and employment service providers.
The strategy will also target specific industries where there are opportunities to develop demonstration projects that give mature age workers openings to train for and take up opportunities.
Seminars and workshops will also be held for employment service providers and intermediaries to help develop strategies to keep mature age employment high on their respective agendas.
The strategy will also include measures that will assist some mature age jobseekers not currently eligible for the full range of Job Network services.
“Mature age job seekers form 25 per cent of those who achieved work lasting at least three months, which is proportionately slightly higher in results than the 23 per cent representation of mature age workers amongst Job Network clients,” he said.
