The team of sociologists from Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities lead by Rūta Brazienė, PhD, had undertaken the research on the discrimination of older people in Lithuanian job market.
The research revealed that the employers prefer employees in their 30s and 40s, as these people already have some work experience, are relatively young and open to new ideas and technologies.
“It is common to think, that those aged 20-24 may lack work experience, responsibility and other qualities, associated with maturity. Older people are stereotypically regarded as being slower learners, as not worthy of investment because they would leave the job market shortly, as more inclined to illnesses”, says Brazienė.
The age group facing most discrimination is people over 56. According to the research, it is very hard for this group of people to find a job, career and self-development possibilities pass-by them and they are more often dismissed from the job position without proper reason. It is even more difficult for pensioners to keep their jobs and to compete with younger generation.
According to the Active Ageing Index, issued by the European Commission, in 2014 Lithuania was the 20th out of 28. However, the occupational rate of older people in Lithuania is quite high – we are in the 13th place.
“This indicates that a relatively high number of people over 55 are participating in the Lithuanian job market, which is an important condition for developing a sustainable society. Our recommendations would be to improve the older generation's quality of life, providing them the opportunity to stay competitive employees for longer”, says Brazienė.
