Have you lost a job or been rejected because of your age?

Australia’s Age Discrimination Commissioner Susan Ryan has launched a National Inquiry into Employment Discrimination against older Australians.

Called ‘Willing to Work’ it will also look at discrimination against people with disability. The Inquiry was called by the Attorney-General George Brandis who says there is clear evidence that employment for mature-age Australians is ‘disturbingly low’ and this has a significant cost to the economy. Senator Brandis told the launch he wants Australia to harness the potential of middle-aged workers and get rid of stereotypes.

Susan Ryan says the inquiry is timely and needed. She told the launch we are amidst a demographic revolution that means we are living a generation longer and are healthier for longer. She says too many employers believe workers over fifty won't adapt to change, won't learn new things, won't get on with young employees and will be sick more often and need time off. But none of those prejudices are supported by evidence.

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The inquiry will look at laws and practices that need changing in Australia to prevent age and disability discrimination in the workforce. At present 60 per cent of the complaints the Human Rights Commission receives about age discrimination are about treatment in the workplace or while trying to get work. Susan Ryan wants a major change in attitudes towards older workers.

The Commissioner says some companies letting workers go in their fifties are often doing the wrong thing because they are losing corporate knowledge and contacts. She's also well aware those who lose their jobs through downsizing or restructuring can find it hard to get new work. She's heard of people spending months trying to get work and not getting past an initial phone call.

Recently the Commissioner appeared on Debrief Daily's Podcast to talk about changing careers in your forties or fifties. We also heard from a woman who transformed herself from police officer, to mother, to midwife and another who reinvented as a pastry chef in mid-life.

You can listen to it here on iTunes and below on Soundcloud: 

Ryan says people thinking of reinventing their career need to be realistic about where the jobs are. The work is in the services sector, such as aged care - in marketing, design and management. She jokes that the good news is in this field, age is an actual asset.

The Commissioner also paid tribute to Bunnings for actively recruiting older workers for their experience and mentioned meeting an 83-year-old worker in a shop recently. Ryan says she's optimistic about the future but wants greater engagement of business in hiring workers.

Meanwhile she wants to hear your work woes. She will take submissions until the middle of next year and report to the government by July next year.

If you have been sacked, or unfairly treated while applying for jobs due to your age register your story here.