The current situation of seniors in the workplace :

The employment rate for 55-64 year-olds is 57% in France, below the European Union average (61.7%).

• +8 out of 10 people are in employment at age 55, but this proportion drops to 5 out of 10 at age 61.
• 20% of employed seniors work part-time.
• 13% of people continue to work after retirement.
• 21% of 55-61 year-olds are neither employed nor retired, for a variety of reasons. This may be due to health problems, disability or because they can't find a job.

Seniors in the workplace: their perception of age discrimination

According to a study carried out by the Défenseur de droits and the International Labour Organization(ILO) :

• ¼ of seniors claim to have experienced discrimination.
• 1 senior out of 2 has experienced demeaning working relationships in the last 5 years.
• 1 in 5 seniors say they fear losing their job.
• ¼ of unemployed seniors say they've already been told they were too old for the job during a job interview.

The perception of discrimination can be compounded by other factors, such as having a health problem or being a family carer. These people are thus all the more discriminated against.

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Employment context for seniors :

The legal retirement age is rising, and career paths are becoming longer. However, one out of every two occupational illnesses involves a senior worker. Finally, the challenge of maintaining employment is closely linked to the challenge of health in the workplace.

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So how can we anticipate the ageing of our workforce and support employees at every stage of their career?

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Seniors in the workplace: heterogeneous career endings

Worker profiles and early departures

Firstly, the profile of workers plays a role in the end of their careers. For example, the proportion of managers in employment is much higher than that of non-managers. In fact, the proportion of seniors in employment increases with the level of their qualifications.

There are also early leavers, particularly in sectors such as catering, materials handling, healthcare, personal services, construction, etc. Low-skilled employees and workers are over-represented here. Working conditions explain these early exits. Conversely, engineers, managers, doctors, teachers... are the professions with the fewest early leavers.

Differences between men and women

Men and women also end their careers differently. Generally speaking, women leave their jobs earlier. What's more, men's level of qualification increases with age. Conversely, women over the age of 50 are often employed in less qualified positions. In addition, the pay gap between men and women is greater among seniors. Women experience more career transitions: part-time, non-employment.

Specificity of senior employees as family caregivers

A quarter of French people aged 55 to 64 are family carers, and 70% of them are women. This role has an impact on mental health. And yet, only one company in 10 has been able to put in place measures to help family carers. Caregivers are sometimes unaware of existing measures. So it's important to make yourself known to your company.

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Find out more about employee caregivers

The impact of arduous work on the health of seniors in the workplace

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Certain work characteristics are more penalizing: physical work, night shifts, staggered working hours, etc. Men are often more exposed. Psychosocial risks affect women more: the emotional demands of dealing with the public, for example. Even if employers have improved working conditions, reducing exposure to physical risks, exposure to a combination of constraints is increasing. Occupational health issues have a major impact on job retention.

Seniors in the workplace: the impact of discrimination

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Ageism is the systematic stereotyping of people because of their age. Discriminatory acts and institutional practices end up creating collective beliefs. According to the WHO, ageism leads to social isolation, financial difficulties and premature death.

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As far as prejudices are concerned, we hear that seniors in the workplace are "out of their depth". Difficulty integrating, lower productivity, lack of dynamism and resistance to change are some of the elements put forward.

On the contrary, certain characteristics are positive. They are perceived as serious, reliable, loyal to the company and committed to their work.

Seniors in the workplace: the different forms of discrimination

A lack of development prospects

Seniors in the workplace are feeling what we might call the age ceiling. They find it difficult to progress in their jobs. When competing with younger workers, their age is more of a handicap than an asset.

After the age of 55, only 1/4 of employees claim to have had a managerial career review interview. Employees also have difficulty accessing training.

Difficulties accessing employment

In terms of recruitment, the probability of hiring a senior citizen aged over 50 is 2 times lower than that of a younger person.

Representations among recruiters

The association "A compétence égale" carried out a study in 2022 which shows that recruiters have a very stereotyped view of recruitment. They also see recruitment as a heavy investment.

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Links between working conditions and job retention

There is a strong link between exposure to psychosocial risks and the onset of a number of illnesses: cardiovascular disease, addiction, depression.

In addition, certain factors, such as the presence of occupational hazards, influence the ability of seniors to continue working in the same job until retirement.

So we need to take action on working conditions. Companies must act preventively, not just curatively. They must also analyze whether the conditions under which work is carried out are conducive to preserving health in the workplace.

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Best practices for an effective inclusion policy

The policy of inclusion for seniors is not just about targeted actions for seniors. We need to take a more global approach.

• Support employees in developing their skills and employability throughout their career. Companies can take action on specific training courses.
• Integrate the challenges of ageing in the workplace into a more global policy of occupational health and risk prevention.
• Encouraging the transmission of skills by seniors and intergenerational projects. For example, companies can set up two-way mentoring schemes. This enables both senior employees to be valued and new recruits to be integrated. Confronting different points of view brings out innovative ideas.
• Implement specific measures to promote a policy of inclusion of seniors and end-of-career planning. Companies can, for example, monitor recruitment, train staff in non-discrimination, use the senior index, integrate managers, provide individual end-of-career support, etc.

Age-related prejudices have been with us for a long time, and change remains difficult. Nevertheless, the challenge of inclusion for companies is essential.

In addition, the inclusion of seniors must involve a more global approach to all QWL prevention initiatives implemented within the company.

Finally, it is essential that the company's management initiates the actions and shares them with the managerial lines and all the teams.

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