The Unretirement Uprising: Over-50s and Ageism at Work

The UK’s over-50s expect to face age discrimination when searching for a new job, according to our new research published in November 2022.

The Unretirement Uprising – The retirement rebellion that could save our workplaces, by 55/Redefined in partnership with recruitment company, Reed Talent Solutions, reveals:

• Two thirds of over-50s predict age will work against them in recruitment process
• 70 per cent feel it is difficult to start a new career over 50
• Almost a third (30 per cent) of retirees felt forced to retire

The findings are from an independent study into the experiences of more than 4,000 over-50s across the UK. Two-thirds (65 per cent) of these people believe their age works against them when applying for jobs, while 70 per cent feel it is difficult to pursue new career opportunities over the age of 50. Despite this, older workers are keen to do what it takes to remain in the workplace, with six in 10 open to reskilling for a new role. 

This research revisits and builds on the findings of our 2021 study, Shut Out, Forced Out and Overlooked.

As UK employers grapple with the biggest talent shortfall on record, this generation – capable of injecting around £20 billion to the economy by staying in work – feel forgotten, despite there being 1.2 million job vacancies in the UK between July and September this year alone and a shortage of candidates.