INTHEBLACK April 2025 - Magazine - Page 45
Educating recruiters and HR
departments about the benefits
of creating multigenerational
workplaces is critical.
Only 25 per cent of HR
professionals are open
to hiring employees over
65 years of age.
The workforce participation
rate in Australia for those over
65 is currently 16 per cent.
Rise of
the wise
Workplaces can address skills shortages by engaging older
employees and utilising their wealth of experience. To achieve this,
employers and recruiters must begin by adopting inclusive hiring
practices and combating age discrimination.
Words Megan Breen
AFTER A DECADES-LONG CAREER
in corporate hospitality, Ian Fraser found
himself unexpectedly looking for work
in his late 50s.
His extensive experience in running major
hospitality projects and events, including
a British and Irish Lions rugby tour of
New Zealand, the Sydney Olympics,
two America’s Cups in Auckland and
the 2006 Commonwealth Games in
Melbourne, failed to land him a position
in a competitive job market.
“I thought I would easily find work because
of the experience I’d built up over many,
many years. The long and short of it is,
I applied for about 75 different roles
and got just three interviews in that time,”
Fraser says.
Fraser’s search highlights the challenges
many older workers face in securing new
employment opportunities and underscores
the need for more inclusive hiring practices
that recognise the contributions of seasoned
professionals.
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