Three quarters (73%) of people aged 35 to 49 with a long-term health condition were in work, however this decreased to 57% of people aged 50 to 65 with a long-standing health condition. Four in 10 (42%) of people aged 50 to 65 who were out of work wanted to be employed.
More than half of the respondents who are economically inactive due to long-term illness or disability are between 50 and 65, the research noted. This means that the UK has a 50% higher rate of economic inactivity due to illness among those aged 50 to 64 than Germany, France and Italy.
Employers are responsible for creating a culture where employees feel they can discuss their health conditions, according to Emily Andrews, deputy director of work for the Centre for Ageing Better.
Speaking to HR magazine, she said: “Our new health and work review identifies key actions for the government, to ensure that more older workers with health conditions can find, and stay in, work. But employers have a role to play too.
Read more: Number of long-term sick set to surge, commission warns
"Employers can help older workers by normalising conversations about health needs and creating a safe, supportive culture that allows job applicants and workers to feel confident to disclose health conditions that may need support.”
Employers should reassure older workers that they won’t be left behind by health support, Andrews added.
She continued: “While lots of employers are thinking about the health and wellbeing support for employees, there’s a risk older workers will get left behind because they don’t think they’ll be prioritised for support.
“It is vital that employers examine the data around all-age initiatives and ask who is accessing and benefitting from them. It might require more targeted messaging to ensure that people struggling with their health in their 60s know that they will be supported, not shuffled out.”
A third (33%) of people aged over 50 reported being worried that they would struggle to find work due to age discrimination, according to research published by the Totaljobs employment platform on 8 October. One in seven (15%) poll respondents said they had been turned down for jobs because of their age.
Meanwhile, 57 was the age that recruiters considered candidates too old for jobs.
Read more: How can HR prevent long-term sickness at work?
HR professionals should consult employees aged over 50 about how to tailor their role according to their health needs, explained Victoria Tomlinson, founder of Next-Up, a talent consultancy for people aged 50+.
She told HR magazine: “It's shocking that we're still witnessing such blatant age and disability discrimination in the workplace.
“For over 30 years, I've employed individuals with long-term health conditions. The key is recognising people are individuals. Allow them to say how the job can work for them, and trust them to give and take. If someone needs a weekly hospital appointment, explore how work can be achieved, and allow everyone to flex so no one is let down but everyone is supporting each other.”
HR should also ensure that the recruitment process is inclusive, Tomlinson continued.
“HR professionals must combat age bias during recruitment," she said. “Look at every step of the hiring process, using mystery shoppers and AI to create dummy applications that differ only in age. This approach reveals unconscious biases and provides data to address discrimination.”
The Centre for Ageing Better called on the government to commit to a target of 75% employment for people aged 50 to 64 by 2030, backed up by government-funded support programmes. The Centre's Health and Work Review, published today, features insights gleaned from analysing literature on health, work and older age.
