‘Discarded like a used tissue’: Readers on how ageism is forcing over-50s out of work

A.Discrimination in the workplace is common, Independent This, readers say, has increased after new ONS figures showed unemployment rising and vacancies falling.

Readers said unemployment hit the elderly hard, while those in their 50s and 60s found themselves “thrown away like a used handkerchief” after decades of loyal service.

Some described feeling depressed and experiencing financial hardship after being laid off, while others said they were forced to work low-paying or part-time jobs despite years of professional experience.

Some blamed cost-cutting managers who viewed older workers as “expensive” and “obsolete,” arguing that this short-sighted approach sacrificed skills, mentoring, and productivity.

Others said companies’ obsession with cheap labor and short-term profits left them in a difficult position to rebuild teams.

Some readers turned to early retirement or self-employment out of necessity, but found both solutions exhausting and precarious.

While a few spoke of eventually finding rewarding employment, most painted a bleak picture of insecurity, loss of confidence and wasted experience – a generation of “old horses” who felt written off before their time.

Here’s what you need to say:

expelled after 30 years

My wife worked in the same company for 30 years. Then he was thrown away like a used handkerchief because he earned too much.

This led to four years of suffering for us as he descended into depression and binge drinking, which almost led to the breakup of our relationship. I was angry because he had given so much of his life to the company. His experience and skills were completely ignored. After a year-long job search, he found himself working at a local supermarket he hated.

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Luckily, he had a private pension which meant he could retire. I had and still have a relatively well-paying job that kept us comfortable. I completely sympathize with those who find it difficult to adapt. Never give up though. Something will emerge.

kingofsawbo

Humiliating

At age 62, I have never been eligible for unemployment benefits, even though I have been laid off three times and have always had private unemployment insurance. The last time I was let go was three years ago. As a freelancer, I went through a period where exploitation was incredible.

I’ve been in job interviews where I was told I was too senior/overqualified for roles. I received multiple offers of paid work two days a week, but in reality I had to be on call throughout the week for no extra compensation. I could have worked for free, mind you, “voluntarily”, doing the exact same job I had done before, so I politely declined. I finally decided to take my very modest deferred municipal pension and enjoy life with much less material possessions. It’s hard but I’m trying to get used to it.

My generation being exploited and belittled when applying for roles can destroy a person’s self-confidence and mental health, I’ve experienced this first hand. I refuse to transfer my hard-earned skills to the supermarket shelves.

Cecinha

Our children will not receive an inheritance

I had my first layoff at 45 and found my next job eight months later. The second layoff was at age 55 and it took 18 months to find a job. My third layoff was at 63, and seven months later I found a contract job that ended two months after my 65th birthday. I am now unemployed, receiving unemployment benefits and carefully using some of my private pension, waiting for November when my state pension starts.

Our children will likely see little to no inheritance, which is probably okay considering it’s taxed to the point of worthlessness. When we move to a managed care facility and have to sell the house it will eat up all the money we have.

This country should pass an age discrimination law that bans employers from hiring only younger workers OR face the costs being forgotten!

Spend Savings

Older workers are more expensive

It has always been harder for older workers. If they wish to remain in their own work area, an older worker is more experienced and therefore more expensive, and if they move to pastures new, they are considered (often wrongly) riskier, less adaptable and harder to train.

Likewise, many of young workers’ complaints about it being difficult to land that all-important first job sound terrifyingly familiar from when I first started job hunting 40 years ago. There’s a lot of panic about jobs, but despite the disruptive impact of AI, I’m not convinced there’s much new here.

Tanaquil2

Listen to us old horses

I am 57 years old and I was working in the accounting field, auditing certified public accountants. I’ve been pushing trolleys, stocking shelves at Tesco and working the tills at the Co-op for six years.

Here is some business advice from me: Reducing costs (i.e. wages) instead of increasing turnover through increased productivity causes the value and quality of the product/service to decrease. This is fake economy. The work multiplies. I have seen many successful young CEOs do this in my 30 years of life. Greed always exists and will always exist.

But they don’t take advice from us old people anymore; We are old horses, outdated, expensive to feed, and a few steps away from being glued. I could be training a whole new group of finance staff to keep things going long term, but instead I’m stocking the shelves with your bread.

JaneMM

It’s so scary outside

I am 60 years old now. Just before Covid my job was handed over to someone cheaper and younger in the EU. Then Covid hit and there were no interviews anywhere. Covid drained all my savings and settlements and I eventually found a job in a new industry, albeit only for two years, at half pay. Luckily, this gave me the experience to move on to a better, more permanent role later on. I don’t earn anything like my old salary, but I have a great job that I enjoy… for now. It’s very scary outside. I’ve never been unemployed before and now I’m not sure I can find a new role.

A Little Drunk Max

Some of the comments in this article have been edited for brevity and clarity.

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