“I think it’s something that is highly valued, sometimes even highly valued, information. That is, ‘since this person has been here for five years, he has so much knowledge that if he leaves, we will lose’ right? […] I think we tend to exaggerate that too much. [el conocimiento]. People learn very fast, very fast. In other words, a person with willpower, motivation, and the desire to conquer the world in two weeks has learned most of what he needs to do his job.”
This was the last podcast prepared by the directors factoriala ‘unicorn’ specializing in the design of human resources programs (said for ‘start-ups’ with a valuation of $1,000 million).
Not all companies show this disdain so openly. experience, but statistics show that even though years are good when you have a job, salaries are higher overall; If you lose that job, there’s trouble: once you get off that train, it’s very difficult to get on the next train.
Old Continent, older
Like most Western economies, Spain lives in a paradox: societies that are getting older every day, but they are very reticent or do not want to work directly. senior. The ‘Old Continent’ is getting older every day. ‘ generationbaby boom‘ turns his age and looks in pensionThey were replaced by the ‘millennials’, the ‘millennials’ and several generations of successive generations whose contributions would have to support the retirement of their parents or grandparents. However, the children of the Second World War still have the rope for a while professionally.
Europeans, on average, are becoming more veterans and living longer. European economies are looking for formulas that will adjust their people’s working life to this new reality and make them last longer.
Some companies, as in the UK, see most veterans as the source of a supply-strapped workforce; others look at them reluctantly, they are more prone to promises. youth ‘low cost’. And on the horizon are public pension systems that offer insufficient guarantees, in the eyes of some professionals, as it is difficult for them to maintain the same purchasing power as their previous salaries.
Average age of working population in Spain increased by more than 2017 four years The largest group of people employed for the past two decades is between the ages of 45 and 49. In 2002 there was a group of 30 to 34 years old. Not only has the age of those employed increased, but unemployed. There are older unemployed and this makes it difficult for them to be re-employed. 30 percent of the unemployed are over the age of 50, an all-time high. Among all the people who have not been able to find a job for more than a year, Four out of 10 people are 50 years or older.
Hire from outside before you train here
“Companies in this country need to make a socio-cultural change, they need to understand that society is getting older and that they cannot pretend that this has not happened. It is incomprehensible how some companies can look for professionals abroad when they have thousands of employees. Here in the SOC there are people who fit the profiles pointed out”, states the CCOO of Catalonia ‘s minister of labor, Ricardo Bellera.
And some of the challenges these veterans have had to rejoin the labor market are based on bias and subjective elements. This is proven by the foundation. isak With a study published this year. His experiment consisted of submitting 1,600 fictitious resumes to 800 vacancies posted on the portal. information jobs For the cities of Barcelona, Madrid and Euskadi. Two curricula for the same offer with similar characteristics (level of education, type of work or gender); one is 35 years old and the other is 49 years old. The result: Seniors are 50% less likely to get a response from companies.
“We are in a society where five generations live together for the first time in history, but this is not reflected in the business world. We fill our mouths with how important diversity is and how well work is done on gender issues, for example. But not with the intergenerational problem”, confirms Belén Marrón, human resources expert and professor at EAE Business School.
Bias beyond the material
Public incentives for companies to hire older, long-term unemployed are already in place, and some progress has been made in the last legislature. Ministry of Labor dismissed 50 to 45 years Minimum age to be considered a priority interest group in employment agencies. But both Marrón and Bellera agree that this negative bias goes beyond the material, and they think it’s key to making it public. awareness campaignsIt is similar to studies carried out for purposes such as preventing traffic accidents or raising awareness about the risks of smoking.
This is a path that the current president of the Conpymes employers association has already followed in private. Jose Maria Torres. This businessman promoted the campaign in 2020 #No Age DiscriminationIt aims to create awareness among colleagues.
Torres had previously won in 2015. Gaudi Prize and in 2016 goya –as producer- for the short film’CorridorA film in which a bankrupt businessman and a worker he fired reflect the absence of opportunities for veterans who were down on their feet in the final stages of their careers. And as head of Conpymes in 2022, he urged the Ombudsman to investigate whether the algorithms of employment platforms are creating age bias to the detriment of the most experienced.
Source: Informacion
James Sean is a writer for “Social Bites”. He covers a wide range of topics, bringing the latest news and developments to his readers. With a keen sense of what’s important and a passion for writing, James delivers unique and insightful articles that keep his readers informed and engaged.