Estonia Struggles With Prejudice Against Older Job Seekers
Estonia's Unemployment Insurance Fund says prejudice on both sides often hinders the hiring of older workers. Employers and senior advocates agree the country cannot afford to leave people who are able to work outside the labor market.
Older people want equal treatment in the labor market, and employers regard them as an important part of the workforce. Even so, prejudice on both sides can stand in the way of hiring.
Statistics Estonia reports that the country had more than 8,300 job vacancies in the second quarter of this year. Education, public administration and retail had the most openings.
Employers and senior advocates
Ain Käpp, head of the labor market working group at the Estonian Employers' Confederation, said a small country like Estonia cannot afford to keep people who are able to work outside the labor market. Golden League (Kuldne Liiga), an advocacy group for older people, wants to build an age-friendly society in which equal treatment at work plays a significant part.
Agu Laius, the group's head of advocacy, said much depends on employers' interest, since not everyone can work eight hours a day and some need workplace accommodations. He added that the state should consider how to make better use of older people, because the working-age population will shrink considerably in the coming decades.
Laius and Käpp both said that this year's amendments to the Employment Contracts Act, which allow flexible working hours, are a major step forward. Käpp noted that people may not want to work full time because of health, may need to look after grandchildren, or may prefer small amounts of work in several places. In his view, companies should give these options more thought, as older workers' experience is highly valuable.
Wage subsidies and trial work
In July, the Unemployment Insurance Fund began paying employers wage subsidies for hiring people aged 55 and older who have been out of working life for a long time. Ulla Saar, a member of the fund's management board, said more people in this age group have found jobs than last year, and that prejudice often affects both job searching and recruitment.
She considers short-term gigs, trial work and job shadowing to be good measures. Saar said several employers she met on visits to the counties admitted to prejudices about hiring people aged 55, 60 or even 65 and over, yet all were pleasantly surprised after trial work.
Pirjo Turk, head of the equality policies department at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, said distinctions have been introduced in legislation, but discussions continue. She noted that many parties are involved and the burden must not fall too heavily on any one of them.
