Government papers: Older people and employment
Key findings
- The talents of more than a million people aged over 50 who want to work are being wasted because of discrimination, bias and outdated employment practices.
- The report concludes that government and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) are failing to enforce the law on age discrimination and must be clearer that prejudice, unconscious bias and casual ageism in the workplace are all unlawful under the Equality Act 2010.
- Although an employer-led approach has its advantages, it does not present a strong enough challenge to discriminatory practices or attitudes.
- MPs call for the government to work with the EHRC to agree specific enforcement actions across both the public and private sectors.
Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, Maria Miller MP, concluded: “The business case for an age-diverse workforce is clear. Despite this, employers continue to organise workplaces around an outdated, inflexible model that this inquiry and our past inquiries into fathers in the workplace and the gender pay gap show no longer works.
“It's time for a mandatory approach, with flexible working being the default from the time jobs are advertised onwards.”
