Centre for Policy on Ageing



Exploring attitudes toward older workers among Australian employers — an empirical study
Author(s)	Eyal Gringart, Edward Helmes, Craig Paul Speelman
Journal title	Journal of Aging & Social Policy, vol 17, no 3, 2005
Pages	pp 85-103
Source	http://www.tandfonline.com
Keywords	Ageism ; Isolation ; Attitude ; Employment of older people ; Recruitment ; Social surveys ; Australia.
Annotation	Research suggests that negative stereotyping is at the heart of age discrimination in the hiring of older workers. As the ageing of the population creates pressures to maintain older people in the workforce, it is important to gain knowledge of such stereotyping. A random sample of 128 hiring decision-makers across Australian industries responded to a questionnaire that was specifically developed to assess attitudes toward older workers. Results showed systematic negative stereotyping. Respondents indicated that they were unlikely to hire older workers. The likelihood of hiring significantly correlated with employers' attitudes. Specific attributes for which older workers were seen as inferior compared to younger workers included trainability, adaptability, creativity, and interest in new technology. The findings could inform policymakers and be used to develop interventions aimed to reduce hiring discrimination. (RH).
Accession Number	CPA-060914005 A
Classmark	B:TOB: TP: DP: GC: WK6: 3F: 7YA
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.