Older workers face a recruiting bias, according to a new evaluation
A new report suggests the talents of more than a million people age 50 and over in the U.K. who want to work aren’t being utilized due to discrimination, bias and outdated employment practices.
The U.K. government and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) need to make it clearer that prejudice and ageism in the workplace are unlawful under the Equality Act 2010, according to the report, which was published by the Women and Equalities Committee, a group appointed to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Government Equalities Office (GEO).
The report recommends the U.K. government work with EHRC to determine specific enforcement actions across both the public and private sector.
The committee also suggests recruitment agencies accept more responsibility for collecting data on areas where older workers are being excluded — and develop a plan of action to remove discrimination in the recruitment and selection process, such as tackling unconscious bias in hiring practices.
For more information on the report and the committee’s recommendations to help prevent ageism in the workplace, read the full text version or this summary of the report