Employment Of Older Workers

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31584, 23 January 1968, Page 10

Employment Of Older Workers

The employment of older workers has aroused the resentment of several recent correspondents to “ The “ Press ”. When unemployment was rising, said one correspondent, it seemed “indefensible for anyone “over the age of 64 years to carry on working in “positions which could be filled by younger people “with families and dependants”. Such people—particularly those receiving superannuation—should be forced to retire, according to another correspondent. While unemployment exists in New Zealand—and there is no indication yet of any decline —the continued employment of older workers and of the wives of married workers, and the secondary employment taken by some workers, are likely to cause resentment among those out of work. The Government last year indicated its attitude to the employment of older workers by dismissing men over 70 years from their employment in the Railways Department. Employed on “ basic work ”, these men were replaced by younger men, particularly men under 30 who showed an interest in a career in the railways.

How far should this practice be pursued? It is easy to appeal to sentiment by deploring the “ greed ” of older people, of working wives, or of men earning two incomes, who refuse to make their jobs available to those drawing the unemployment benefit. But how many of those unemployed could do the work—and do it as well—as those already doing it? Are employers to be directed whom to employ? Is the sole criterion to be the applicant’s “need”, or are capabilities and loyalty to be given some consideration (some employers would add “at last”)? Higher productivity is the key to economic recovery and concessions to sentiment can be expensive in terms of productivity. While unemployment in New Zealand remains so low by world standards—last month the rate of unemployment here was a quarter of the United Kingdom figure—productivity deserves more consideration than the enforced retirement of older workers.