A third of seniors over 50 also say they are worried about their professional future, according to this barometer produced by the Defender of Rights in partnership with the International Labor Organization (ILO).
Still efforts to be made for professional equality regardless of the age of employees. Nearly a quarter of seniors aged 50 and over say they have experienced discrimination during their career and a third of them say they are worried about their professional future, according to a barometer published this Wednesday. The Defender of Rights, which carried out this survey in partnership with the International Labor Organization (ILO), is regularly contacted by seniors for age-related discrimination: “refusal to hire, encouragement to retire prematurely, difficulty maintaining employment, etc.”indicates the study.
This is particularly in view of this observation and because “the question of maintaining and working conditions for seniors has become even more acute since the 2023 pension reform” that the 17th barometer of discrimination in employment is devoted to the situation of seniors. The survey shows that 23% of them report having been victims of discrimination in employment. They cite in particular discrimination linked to age or state of health.
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“Ageist prejudices”
Among seniors, “those perceived as non-white report more having experienced discrimination in employment (43% versus 22%), as do those reporting poor health (32% versus 17%) or a precarious economic situation (30% versus 15%). %)». In addition, one in two seniors has experienced “demeaning work relations over the last 5 years” et “a quarter of unemployed seniors say they have already been made to understand that they are too old for the job during a job interview”.
The discrimination suffered by seniors is partly explained by “ageist prejudices”indicates the barometer. Nearly one worker in two considers that seniors are overwhelmed by new technologies, 4 workers in 10 believe that they have fragile health, while a third mention their high cost for businesses. Discrimination has repercussions on mental health, the study recalls: for the entire working population, 71% of victims indicate that their mental health has deteriorated (sadness, fatigue, depression).
To improve the fate of seniors, the Defender of Rights makes several recommendations such as awareness campaigns on discrimination, mechanisms to report it or even better anticipation of the end of a career. The survey was carried out by the CSA institute from April 8 to 28 via the internet, among a representative sample of the active population of 2,284 people aged 18 to 65.
