Overview

• A joint AHRC/AHRI survey found nearly one in four HR professionals classify 51–55-year-olds as “older,” up from 10% in 2023.
• Only 56% of HR professionals are largely open to hiring people aged 50–64 and just 28% to those aged 65 and over, while openness to recruiting 15–24-year-olds stands at 41%.
• Employers rate older workers highly for loyalty, reliability and stress management but perceive them as less proficient in technology and less driven in career ambitions.
• The report includes 18 recommendations such as age-neutral job advertisements, audits of AI screening tools for bias and career-transition support for mid to late career employees.
• The AHRC has received hundreds of Age Discrimination Act complaints related to recruitment bias and the government plans a productivity roundtable in August to address labour shortages and ageism.