Forties People

People in 40-plus jobs could be losing out because employers are making assumptions about their skills and abilities.

According to Phil Flaxton, chief executive of Work Wise UK, employers in other European countries have very different attitudes towards older workers than those in Britain.

For instance, he said they do not tend to assume that just because a person is of a certain age, they are less capable of doing a certain task than a younger employee.

Mr Flaxton said this is particularly apparent when it comes to the use of IT systems in the workplace.

"It is a misnomer for some employers to think that because you haven't grown up with a technology then you can't be trained to use it," he commented.

However, Mr Flaxton acknowledged that there are some employers who consider older members of staff an asset to their firm, as they have lots of experience and knowledge.

This comes after business minister Pat McFadden described older people as the "backbone" of the British economy.

Posted by James Strang