Do employees 50+ have troubles on the labor market?

High level of work, openness and willingness to share knowledge and experience, or loyalty to the employer. This is just one of the many advantages of employees in their 50s that Antal experts notice when recruiting these candidates.

Among all European Union countries, Poland has the lowest employment rate of 50-year-olds (according to GOV data). How their employers perceive them influences their difficult situation on the labor market. Antal has launched a special 50+ Academy project, which aims to show that age is strength, not weakness, and people over 50 are great headhunters, e.g. in the IT industry.

Unwritten age censorship - myth or truth?

In the case of positions in the area of customer service, sales and banking, people under 30 were much more often invited to an interview. The observations of Antal consultants confirm this relationship. It is due to several reasons.

Very often, teams on the so-called first line of sales or customer service are young - this is usually the beginning of a career path, as well as an attractive place for people with up to several years of experience. People with more seniority are promoted in structures or choose a different career path, e.g. developing towards data analysis. On the one hand - the desire to return to the so-called the frontline raises concerns that the candidate in question has not been successful elsewhere and is less dynamic and results-oriented. On the other hand, employers are afraid that employing one person would risk mismatching them with the organizational culture and difficult cooperation with the dominant young part of the team - comments Sebastian Sala, Business Unit Director Antal, SSC / BPO.

There is often talk of "age cult" - the practice of artificially designating an age that is believed to be appropriate for job applicants. People applying this practice believe that age is most often associated with job skills. In line with these views, it is assumed that older workers find it more difficult to adapt to new circumstances and are less likely to learn new skills. Young people are expected to be more technologically experienced and responsible.

A beneficial solution would be to employ more people aged 50+ and thus create a team of different generations - but it requires much greater commitment on the part of the employer. Hence - the simpler solution is chosen more often - adds Sala.

What employers are afraid of - harmful stereotypes

Antal's observations show that people who graduated in the last decade often travel abroad, learn English from early childhood and use English more freely. Unfortunately, the term intermediate foreign language often covers various competences - and statistically more often the thorough examination of the language level is to the benefit of young people. Among employers there is also a stereotype of easier movement of Igreks and Zetas in new technologies and IT systems, which also works for the benefit of young people in the case of specialist and not strategic positions.

Among the voices in the market, one hears common age stereotypes, both positive (older workers are much more trustworthy) and negative (older workers underperform), which may influence the employer's decision-making in the workplace. Not all older workers are the same. Employers consider older employees to be loyal and dedicated, but also less flexible, unable to learn and develop their competences - especially in the field of modern technologies. On the other hand, most people aged 50+ believe that they adapt perfectly and acquire knowledge quickly and are willing to acquire new competences. Like employers, older workers see themselves as loyal members of the organization and expect to be valued and treated fairly

Employers themselves should implement in their strategy practices that prevent discrimination in the work of older workers. If a company has an organizational culture that favors intergenerational exchange and a good atmosphere, such employees contribute a lot due to their experience. Older candidates should also try to debunk stereotypes by promoting themselves as experts and taking active steps.

We treat promoting equal opportunities and building jobs where everyone can fully use their potential as one of the priority elements of Antal's social commitment. As a socially active organization, we feel obliged to participate in building a society prepared for the challenges of the present and the future. That is why it is extremely important for us to implement projects that increase public awareness and openness to people representing various age groups, cultures and the environment - says Monika Kiliańska, Antal IT Team Manager.

Urgently wanted - vacancies for 50+

An example of recruitment processes in which people over 50 are the desired candidates are, among others recruitment for high management positions. In their case, employers (foreign corporations with structures in Poland) even target candidates with the right "seniority". The demand for such experienced staff is also visible in the IT industry. Candidates 50+ are also perfectly at home in front-desk work, in direct customer service, also in any contact center. They will also find employment in technology companies holding managerial and director positions. The very demand for mature employees is also observed in the SSC / BPO sector in the areas of accounting.

In times of increased demand for employees - volume recruitment of people 50 plus is being considered more and more often - for positions in the area of accounting or customer service. The SSC / BPO sector is mainly interested in such opportunities. As Antal, we ran, for example, digital recruitment campaigns targeted at this particular group of employees. Based on these examples, it can be concluded that the situation on the labor market for people over 40 or 50 is improving significantly - says Sebastian Sala, Business Unit Director Antal, SSC / BPO.

Mature employees competitive on the market

Middle-aged and elderly people have many strengths. One of them is experience on the labor market, but also openness to training and excellent adaptation to an environment determined by galloping technology.

Older employees are experienced, educated, ready to raise their professional qualifications and familiar with social media. It's worth getting to know their advantages. In Antal, we are aware of this, which is why we started the 50+ Academy program. We believe in the power of age and we want to show that people over 50 great as headhunters, incl. in the IT industry. Participation in the academy begins with special preparatory trainings in which Antal experts show what the work of a recruiter looks like and how to select the best talents. Each participant gets to know his mentor, with whom he works together to search for candidates from the IT industry - explains Monika Kiliańska, Antal IT Team Manager.

For each employed candidate, the academy participant receives remuneration in the amount of PLN 2,400 gross. For now, the 50+ Academy project is present in four Polish cities: Warsaw, Kraków, Poznań and Wrocław.

We see commitment among people 50+ who want to join the academy and develop their career path as a headhunter. June 20 this year We started training for the first three participants of the program and we are looking forward to the effects - adds Kiliańska.