“I believe this is information that is highly valued, sometimes extremely valued. That is, because someone has stayed with a company for five years, they possess so much knowledge that if they leave, the organization loses a critical asset.” Many argue that this is overstated. People learn quickly, especially those with willpower, drive, and the urge to conquer the world in a short time; they often pick up the essentials needed to do their jobs very fast.
This was the last podcast prepared by the directors of a renowned HR program design team, a team known for helping start-ups with valuations around a billion dollars.
Not all firms express this scorn openly. Experience matters, but statistics show that while years on the job bring value, salaries tend to rise overall. If someone loses their job, rejoining the workforce becomes harder once a person steps off that train.
Old Continent, older
Like many Western economies, Spain faces a paradox: societies are aging rapidly, yet senior workers are often reluctant to stay engaged with the labor market. The Old Continent is aging, and the baby boom generation is reaching retirement while new generations—millennials and others—rise to fill the gap. Yet those who came of age after World War II still retain professional leverage for a while longer.
On average, Europeans are living longer and staying in work longer. Economies across Europe are seeking ways to adjust working life to this new reality and to help people remain active in the labor market for longer periods.
Some companies, as in the United Kingdom, view older workers as a reliable source for a strained workforce; others see them as less costly but less flexible. In the horizon, public pension systems offer uncertain guarantees, making it harder for people to maintain the purchasing power they enjoyed at the height of their careers.
In Spain, the average age of the working population has risen, with the largest group now aged 45 to 49. In 2002 the dominant group was 30 to 34. The aging of the workforce is accompanied by rising unemployment among older workers, complicating reemployment. About 30 percent of the unemployed are over 50, a record high. Among those jobless for more than a year, four out of ten are 50 or older.
Hire from outside before you train here
“Companies in this country need a socio-cultural shift. They must acknowledge that society is aging and cannot pretend this is not happening. It is surprising when firms look abroad for professionals while they have thousands of workers here. There are people who fit the profiles right at home,” says the Catalonia labor minister’s office representative.
Among the challenges older veterans face in rejoining the labor market are biases and subjective judgments. A study conducted this year tested 1,600 fictitious resumes against 800 job postings in Barcelona, Madrid, and Euskadi. Two resumes with similar education and experience but ages 35 and 49 were sent to the same openings. The result: older candidates were 50% less likely to receive a response.
“We live in a society with five generations coexisting for the first time in history, yet this reality isn’t reflected in the business world. We talk endlessly about diversity and gender equity, but intergenerational issues remain invisible,” notes Belén Marrón, a human resources expert and professor at a leading business school.
Bias beyond the material
Public incentives to hire older or long-term unemployed workers exist, and some progress has been made in recent years. The Ministry of Labor has lowered the minimum age to be considered a priority in employment programs. Yet Marrón and Bellera warn that the bias runs deeper than material factors and that public awareness campaigns are essential—much like campaigns against road risks or smoking.
In private circles, the nation’s business leaders have pushed similar initiatives. Jose Maria Torres, president of the main employers association, promoted the 2020 campaign #NoAgeDiscrimination to raise awareness among peers. Earlier, Torres had won the Gaudi Prize in 2015 and produced a short film in 2016 that portrayed the challenges faced by veterans at the end of their careers. In 2022, as head of the employers group, he urged the Ombudsman to investigate whether recruitment platforms’ algorithms generate age bias against the most experienced workers.