The Guardian asked people over 50 to get in touch and share their experiences of trying to return to work.<\/p>\n
\u2018I can\u2019t find a way out of this situation\u2019<\/p>\n
James, 59, who lives in south-west England, lost his job two years ago and, since then, has had \u201ceight interviews from 598 job applications\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been horrible \u2026 and very stressful,\u201d he says. \u201cI have every application listed in an Excel file, none of which were successful for the roles advertised, though I did manage to get some other items of work as a result of them. Overall I have been barely employed, perhaps severely underemployed, for two years, and I can\u2019t find a way out of this situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
James, who has worked in international development, says when he was applying for jobs in the early 2020s he was getting \u201can interview every 15 or 20 applications\u201d but now \u201cit\u2019s about one per 80 applications\u201d.<\/p>\n
At the moment, he is scraping by with occasional editing for organisations in his sector and a bit of freelance writing for a magazine.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s tiny, but it\u2019s something,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019ve also been living at a relative\u2019s house, who very kindly has said I don\u2019t need to contribute to costs there at the moment, but I rely on my savings when I need them.\u201d<\/p>\n
He says job application feedback is \u201cnever shared, so I\u2019ve no grasp of why I fail\u201d.<\/p>\n
He adds: \u201cI do wonder if age is an issue. Perhaps companies think a younger person will be more flexible, more capable, and they can mould them into their particular way of working. The only thing to do is to persevere and hope.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Looking for a job is at times harder than actually doing a job\u2019<\/p>\n
Sally*, 52, who has worked in the charity sector and lives in Birmingham, says she has applied for \u201cmore than 100 roles\u201d but \u201cstill no bites\u201d.<\/p>\n
She has had 17 interviews in the past 10 months and has been perplexed by immediate rejections for jobs for which she seemed well suited.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve applied for lower and higher level roles, for temp and part-time ones, some outside my field but where I feel my skills can bring value, and some roles that I don\u2019t really want but am desperate,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve had immediate noes for roles that appear to be written for me and have had interviews for roles which I applied for as a long shot. It\u2019s tough out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sally, who is in receipt of jobseeker\u2019s allowance, adds: \u201cLooking for a job is at times harder than actually doing a job \u2013 not to mention the impact on your self-esteem, pocket, and relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n
She is not sure if age is a factor but feels it could be \u201cpart of the mix\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve wondered if assumptions are made, if there\u2019s perhaps a bias at play, is there an underlying feeling of threat? But I have to stop myself from going down that road. It won\u2019t help my sense of self, as it\u2019s something I cannot change.\u201d<\/p>\n
One over-50 applicant says they faced \u2018clear bias\u2019 at job interviews. Photograph: insta_photos\/Getty Images\/iStockphoto\u2018After three years of looking, I abandoned my search and retired\u2019<\/p>\n
David*, 66, who has worked in IT for 35 years, says he had hoped to find work after he was made redundant in early 2020, but after three years of looking he just could not find a job.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter redundancy I used the Covid-19 period to plan my retirement and move house,\u201d he says. \u201cIn 2021 I started to look for a new job.\u201d<\/p>\n
While David, who lives in the north-east of England, knew his IT experience was \u201cout of date\u201d, he says he was content to look for \u201cpart-time or temporary or minimum-wage jobs or zero-hours contracts\u201d.<\/p>\n
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