The shortage on the labor market has records broken. At the same time, a large group is undesirably unemployed, including a group of over-55s. More than 55,000 elderly people would like to get a job, but they are unable to get a job.
According to Rob Witjes, head of employment information UWV, there have never been so many people over 55 in work. “If you look at the participation of 55-65 year olds, it is now more than 72 percent. Twenty years ago it was barely 42 percent.”
According to Witjes, the group that still does not get to work suffers from a negative image. “When employers see someone who has been unemployed for a year, they wonder how that is possible. The labor market is very tight. Many over-55s have to deal with a kind of image. They apply blankly, but they don’t get there. among.”
Job seeker Jacques Sjouw has no idea why he is not allowed to come for an interview anywhere. Watch his story below.
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Job seeker: ‘I don’t have a difficult character, they have never seen my salary’
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Menno Meijer, owner of an employment agency, has seen the situation turn around completely in recent years. “In the past we had to hold back candidates, and the employers were shuddering. Today it’s the other way around: a lot of new jobs are coming in and the search for candidates is almost starting to become a problem.”
According to Meijer, there have always been prejudices about older employees. Due to the tight labor market, employers are now more inclined to ask older people for an interview. And rightly so, says Meijer.
“If you look at friends of fifty or sixty, you see that they are still full of life. In practice we do not experience that a candidate of fifty or sixty-plus does not function well, or is not aware of current online developments. That is not an issue.”
‘Tineke (59) is worth gold’
For a long time, Michiel Kaatee, owner of a retail store fittings wholesaler, was reluctant to hire young people. “You could say that I narrow minded used to be. I thought: I must have young people, because they are fast and strong. Later I gave other people a chance too. That was a good decision and we will certainly continue with it.”
His receptionist Tineke (59) is worth gold, says Kaatee. “Especially in busy times, it’s nice to work with someone who stays calm and who can effortlessly take over files from her boss.”
He regrets that people over 55 are already disqualified before they have been interviewed. “When you speak to them, you immediately see how capable people are. Maybe even extra good.”
According to Witjes, many job seekers have difficulty writing a clear motivation letter. “People then get stuck on the application process. That is no longer of this time at all. Especially if a company experiences enormous shortages, it should open its doors much more.”
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