Companies in Switzerland are reluctant to hire workers over the age of 55, a new study has revealed.
The majority of HR managers in Swiss companies would like to specifically recruit, promote, and employ people over 55 beyond the normal retirement age – but only a minority actually manage to do this within their own companies, a new study by Rundsted recruitment agency has concluded.
‘Aging and demographic change’
“Most companies are far from including those over 55 in talent management programs, consciously recruiting and supporting them, and showing them ways to continue working beyond the normal retirement age,” Runsted’s CEO Pascal Scheiwiller told SRF public broadcaster.
He added that the shortage of skilled workers in Switzerland makes it imperative to “align the company and HR culture with all employees, young and old,”
However, “the study shows that many companies fundamentally lack the knowledge, experience, and courage to deal with the issue of aging and demographic change.”
Company management must enforce that the primary goal of HR policy is not early retirement, but continued employment, he added.
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Rife ageism
These findings are not exactly surprising.
Other evidence also points to ageism in Swiss workplaces.
While no company will tell you straight out that you are too old to be hired (this would be against the law), chances are older applicants will lose out to a younger candidate.
Among the unspoken reasons may be the fact that experienced employees with a long professional track record are more expensive to hire (in terms of wages) than younger ones, or a fear they may not be able to keep up with the responsibilities.
In general, “preference for younger people in the labour market relies heavily on preconceptions,” according to Kurt Pärli, law professor at University of Basel.
However, “generalising assumptions about mental and physical capabilities diminishing in old age are not borne out by the findings of recent aging research.”
Instead, “the aging processes differ from one individual to another – and many older people harbour untapped potential to mobilise and develop their own professional skills.”
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Is this kind of ‘selective’ hiring even legal?
Generally speaking, employers are not allowed to discriminate against candidates based on their age.
In practice, however, no HR manager will tell an applicant that he or she is not being hired because they are too old.
But this kind of attitude is rife.
“Age discrimination is ‘standard’ here,” Pärli pointed out.
“Studies show that three out of four workers [in Switzerland] face an age- related disadvantage when changing jobs,” he said.
READ ALSO: What are the chances of getting a new job in Switzerland if you’re over 50?
