In Europe, the practice is varied and inconsistent. In one German case, a 50-year-old man applied for a job twice — as himself and as a fictional 32-year-old with the same qualifications. Only the 32-year-old was invited for an interview. Still, a court ruled there was no discrimination, arguing that the employer was entitled to make subjective decisions.
There’s evidence that stronger age-discrimination laws keep older workers employed longer and benefit claims lower. That means shifting the burden of proof toward the employers would make sense. But the stick is not necessarily the best instrument when it comes to bringing employment practices into harmony with the shifting demographics of the workforce. Many discouraged 50- and 60-year-olds won’t sue or complain to equality commissions; they’ll just get depressed and act out the prejudices against them.
In 2017, the German economist Regina Konle-Seidl looked at the effectiveness of policies aimed at the retention and reintegration of older workers into the labor force and concluded that a combination of job-search training and hiring subsidies could work well. In Switzerland, for example, the government employment service temporarily covers most of the difference between an older worker’s last salary and a newly offered one. Other research shows that the German practice of involving people nearing retirement age in training programs helps extend and advance the careers of older women in particular.
Figuring out ways to keep older workers engaged and help them overcome the prejudices that prevent them from getting hired is a task often neglected by policymakers. But they won’t be able to delay much longer: As the retirement age goes up everywhere, nations will be forced to deal with increasingly disgruntled elderly people, who also happen to be the most disciplined voters. Not acting as forcefully on age discrimination as on other kinds of bias carries an unpredictable political cost for politicians too youth- and future-oriented to take heed of the reality of their aging countries.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.