Tackling the problem of the unemployed who are over 40

With reference to the editorial of December 20 ("Unemployment benefits: Checking abuse"), I fully agree with the last paragraph which stated that: "It is only right to support those who find themselves out of work and help them retrain themselves in a bid to find a place in the labour market again. But those who prefer to abuse the system should be told in plain language that enough is enough."

Although there seems to be abuse and here action must be taken, however, it is also true that there are genuine cases that should be assisted. To better understand the plight of these genuine cases, I wish to give some figures of the size and nature of the problem of the over 40s unemployed and the great difficulties this disadvantaged group finds when it tries to find adequate jobs.

According to the ETC's September 2002 unemployment figures:

38 per cent (2,605 out of 6,771) are over 40. This represents a reduction of two per cent since March 1.

95 per cent of the problem is in Malta and five per cent in Gozo.

88 per cent are males and 12 per cent females.

33 per cent are single and 67 per cent are married.

26 per cent of the over 40s unemployed are registered as illiterate.

55 per cent have a very low level of education (mostly primary level) and are registering for unskilled and labouring type of jobs. Only those who today are under 46 had the opportunity of benefiting from the introduction of compulsory secondary education for all up to the age of 16 introduced in 1970.

57 per cent have been registering for more than one year.

21 per cent have been registering for more than five years.

This group (the over 40s unemployed) faces a number of difficulties, first when it comes to hold on to its present employment but in particular when it comes to seek employment. And this is especially so when the economy is not so buoyant.

The following are the main difficulties they have to face:

¤ Fast technological progress: Older workers feel threatened by the problems of fast change on the shop floor and in the office with new facilities in the form of new office equipment and new shop-floor machinery that make it paramount to change, learn, retrain and adapt.

They have been used to a system of little or no change, their adaptive capacities are slow and so they are handicapped.

¤ Age discrimination: They are discriminated against in training programmes, recruitment and promotion prospects due to their age factor. They are encouraged to retire early to make way for a younger and more adaptive workforce. However, the percentage of the older workers in the workforce is increasing.

¤ Low educational level: More than one-fourth of the unemployed who are over 40 are illiterate.

Nearly no one wants to employ an illiterate person.

The other three-fourths have only primary education and no IT knowledge and skills.

¤ Training difficulties and their low skills level: Two-thirds of this group are registering for jobs which require no particular skills and for other labouring type of jobs like cleaners, watchmen, messengers, porters.

Their lack of ability to read and write makes it very difficult to retrain them. Adaptability to new technologies is slow, so employers are afraid to take them on.

In-service training for old aged employees is looked down at, by both employers and employees. Despite the difficulties, ETC's training services division successfully trains and retrains thousands each year. More in-service training by employers is required.

¤ Stress and health problems: Employers are reluctant to employ the over 40s for they say that aging job-seekers are often on sick leave. This is statistically untrue when compared to younger employees. Older workers are less on leave off work especially after weekends and their chances of being on parental leave are less too. Records of older workers' presence at work show greater continuity.

¤ Aging job-seekers are said to be too expensive: Employers believe that retraining this group is expensive. It is claimed that aging job-seekers show reduced work performance. This could be made good by a higher degree of skills available, expert knowledge, mental balance, greater experience, continuity, job loyalty, maturity, respect to authority and dedication.

¤ The future of an enterprise is in the young: Investment in the young seems to be preferred, although they hop off quicker. Demographic reasons may not supply enough young personnel in the coming future. A mixture of both young and older workers helps to create the right balance.

¤ Lack of confidence and self-esteem: The longer the period of unemployment becomes, the more they feel rejected, useless and unwanted, and this creates an inertia against moving out of unemployment.

Training in rebuilding self-confidence and self-esteem is required.

¤ Poor employment records: Some find it difficult to have good relationships both vertical and horizontal.

Some have moved in and out of jobs repeatedly and had behavioural problems, a few have absented themselves many times or were found away from work or are lazy and late-comers. Here careful guidance and counselling by the respective employment advisers helps to improve matters. And ETC's employment services division and particularly its employment advisors are doing sterling work in this regard.

¤ Social security benefits plus the black economy: The temptation to register and have adequate social security benefits, as we have in Malta, plus a part-time (or a full-time), clandestine job here and a clandestine job there, is great.

Stricter law enforcement surveillance and means testing is needed to eradicate abuse, as was pointed out in the editorial.

¤ Ex-convicts, substance abusers and disabled persons over 40: Few are those employers who are ready to give this category another chance in life.

Employment advisers give special attention to this category. The ETC's schemes, 'Bridging the gap' and the ETPS are highly commendable and the work done in this field by the ETC's supported employment section is highly appreciated.

¤ Problems of carers of children and the elderly: There are cases of single parents and widows or widowers looking after their children, or children's children or their elderly dependencies. Day-care centres for children and the elderly will help to employ them, as well as flexible working hours and part-time employment.

Older, unemployed workers experience a recognisable pattern of emotions. Shock, denial, anger, resignation and apathy need counselling and continuous support together with a tailor-made, client-based integrated service.

ETC's employment advisers assess their needs and address their requirements, with the ultimate aim of finding employment.

¤ Hostile to classroom teaching in groups of various ages: Older workers are against the classroom teaching atmosphere, they prefer individual teaching as is taking place so successfully at the Jesuits' Paolo Freire Institute, Zejtun. Or at least they prefer to be taught in very small groups and they hate being taught together with younger workers.

¤ Medical certificates and health problems: Many of them claim to suffer from some form of ailment, e.g., back pain, vertigo, arthritis, dizziness, nausea, and fits, and if pressed will produce medical certificates.

They manage to remain on the unemployment register since they have not refused employment, but were not chosen by employers.

¤ Hoping to get employment with the government: Clientelism and promises by politicians of all sides have to stop in order to eradicate once and for all this wrong attitude completely. Otherwise, it will be difficult to place them with the private sector.

Employment in the public sector is on the decline and as a matter of public policy. There should be less employment in the public service and the money saved should be invested to create more employment in the private sector.

Adequate jobs are not difficult to find if the state of the economy is good. When economic expansion is appreciable and there is a demand for labour, employers will recruit from among groups they would previously have largely ignored. One of these groups is surely the unemployed who are over 40.

But when the state of the economy is not that buoyant especially due to foreign low demand, special schemes (like ETC's, - Tees for the Over 40s - training and employment exposure scheme) have still to be devised and improved in order to assist the genuine cases to be retrained and employed. That is what other countries do in such situations.

At the moment the 81 voluntary participants in Tees have already been trained for six months and the great majority of them have been placed for work exposure with an employer.

Although such schemes cost money, they are an investment, as in the long-run the government makes a net saving in the form of less social assistance paid.

Unemployment figures go down and unproductive people have been retrained and put back in productive employment. The economy stands to gain especially due to the accelerator effect.

Employers and human resource managers are advised to assess the ability of an over 40s unemployed, irrespective of his age. Remember, that to make up for the above difficulties, he can also give you maturity, experience, loyalty, continuity, expertise, training investment, dedication, discipline, acceptance of authority, managerial ability, less sporadic leave off work and better customer care especially in the retail trade.

The ideas expressed above are my personal ideas.