Youth jobs incentive could push older Australians into unemployment and poverty

With JobMaker about to begin paying employers up to $200 a week to hire workers under 30, the odds have again lengthened against older workers trying to keep their jobs or find one, argues Jane Mussared. Urgent strategies are needed so the older unemployed don’t spend long, unproductive years on JobSeeker.

Keeping older people at work no easy task

The Federal Treasurer’s call for Australians to work past 65 is based on the “economic time-bomb” of an ageing population. But there are reasons why many look forward to retirement, and a wide range of employment and workplace factors must be addressed in order to achieve significant change, argues Andreas Cebulla.