Youth cult. Another disturbing fact: almost one in two businesses systematically rejects applications from people over 50. This “youth cult” is particularly present in SMEs with less than 50 employees, and a little less in larger SMEs. Thus, 67% of SMEs with 51-100 employees say they recruited applicants over 50, and 71% for SMEs with 101-250 employees. However, these ‘lucky winners’ only represent a tiny portion of the companies’ total workforce (3.9% in businesses with 51-100 employees). “50 is like a sound barrier, after which employees are seen as old, whereas this frontier is no longer relevant” said Mr. Beumer, reminding that seniors’ life expectancy and vitality strongly increased.
According to a representative study carried out by the Commerzbank – the second largest bank in Germany – most SMEs already took action in favor of their ageing clientele, extending their product range. On the other hand, they are not prepared for their own personnel ageing. However, almost one in two SMEs think their employees would be unable to work until 67, which will be legal retirement age starting 2029. (Ref. 090527)
Entitled “the end of the cult of youth?” this study, presented by the Ha
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