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Regina Brenner (57) has been looking for a job for almost two years but without success. “Is it because of my age?” he asks himself. René Handschin (61) has a similar experience. “I no longer believe in a shortage of skilled workers,” he says, horrified. People over 55 repeatedly report difficult job searches to Blick.
It is hardly surprising that Swiss voters flatly rejected the pension initiative on Sunday. If employers are already reluctant to hire people over 55, who will hire people until they are 66 or older? “It’s a contradiction that, on the one hand, employers want to increase the retirement age, but on the other hand, they make it difficult for people over 55 to find a job,” says Pascal Scheiwiller (50). He is the CEO of job placement company Rundstedt, which helps employees find jobs after being laid off.
The fact that the AHV’s approval of the 13th pension was above average among those aged 50 to 64 could be read as a sign of egotism or a sign of insecurity. Unemployment and employment loss affect only a small percentage of the workforce. But many are afraid of it.
Due to higher pension fund contributions, older workers are not only more expensive than younger workers, but they also face prejudice. “It also fails because of the mentality,” says Severin Moser (61), president of the employers’ association. It is said that older workers no longer learn as fast as they used to. “These people have a huge wealth of experience, and that’s an advantage.”
Will the problem resolve itself?
He is confident that employers will soon eliminate their prejudices against older candidates, whether they want it or not. “In the future, companies will need to be happy that they can still find staff, regardless of whether the person is 60 or 30,” says Recruiter President Moser.
Demographic change not only leads to gaps in the financing of pension services, but also gaps in the labor market: estimates suggest that 300,000 to 500,000 workers will disappear from the Swiss economy in just a few years. The shortage of skilled workers is currently decreasing slightly due to weak economic development. However, this is a short-term effect at most.
Labor market expert Scheiwiller is skeptical about whether the change will actually happen that quickly in practice. The old age guillotine has been a problem for over a decade. “At first employers ignored the problem,” he says. “Then they downplayed it and now they’re doing PR.” Many companies are now committed to offering special programs for people over 50. “But what is really needed is recognition that older workers are an opportunity, not a risk,” says Scheiwiller. “I miss the will and willingness of employers to actually change things.”
For those affected, like Regina Brenner and René Handschin, these words are a blessing. But they will only really be helped if employers give their applications a chance. Despite his age – or perhaps because of it.
Source :Blick
I’m Tim David and I work as an author for 24 Instant News, covering the Market section. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, my mission is to provide accurate, timely and insightful news coverage that helps our readers stay informed about the latest trends in the market. My writing style is focused on making complex economic topics easy to understand for everyone.
