Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said over-50s should take up gig economy jobs if they are strapped for cash and was accused of being 'out of touch'.
much as amazon may want them to. amazon has around 70,000 employees in the uk. it specifically says this offer is aimed at parents and grandparents. how diverse the workforce?— grandparents. how diverse the workforce? ., ., ~ ., . workforce? the female workforce in terms of term _ workforce? the female workforce in terms of term time _ workforce? the female workforce in terms of term time female - workforce? the female workforce in | terms of term time female workers, there are four times more likely to have a chance time contract in comparison to men, so you can say it will open up the doors to more female workers for amazon. in terms of grandparents, there are more over 50 is being targeted now in the workforce. the government have lodge schemes to get the over 50s back into the workplace. it will encourage people who are not generally working at the moment or cap work at the moment back into the workplace. that is a good thing. the uk is struggling at the moment to fill all these vacancies, so it is a good thing, but i think it is
different to other european countries where we have not got that same level of people back in work after covid. but the trend that we saw at the last release from the ons is that most of those coming back into work with the over 50s and we're hoping we see more of the 16-24 we're hoping we see more of the 16—24 —year—olds coming back to work during this next release but we will wait and see what at seven o'clock.— at seven o'clock. basically, the government _ at seven o'clock. basically, the government and - at seven o'clock. basically, - the government and employers' companies are desperate, aren't they, to see people return to they, to see people return to the workforce, that is seen as one of the key ways to help this problem they are saying? absolutely. out of the a0 odd million people that are available to work in the workplace, 9 million are inactive, just over a million unemployed and about 30 million employed. 9 million represents a really big talent pool that can be tapped in to help the uk grow by delivering services, building goods and so forth.
treasury. taken as a whole we can see that in december of last year, the average age of people who worked at the treasury was 34 years old. that's well below the average age of workers across the uk, which was 42 according to the latest data we have. just under 10% of people who work at the treasury are over 50 years of age and again that's much lower than the wider workforce, where 32% of people are aged over 50. , ., ., , where 32% of people are aged over 50. , . ._ 50. this data is particularly relevant right _ 50. this data is particularly relevant right now. - 50. this data is particularly relevant right now. that's i 50. this data is particularly i relevant right now. that's right. chancellor _ relevant right now. that's right. chancellor jeremy _ relevant right now. that's right. chancellorjeremy hunt - relevant right now. that's right. chancellorjeremy hunt has i relevant right now. that's right. | chancellorjeremy hunt has been calling on over 50s to return to the workplace to try to plug some of the staff shortages we are seeing across the economy. jeremy hunt became chancellor in october last year. in january he used a speech specifically to appeal to early retirees saying britain needs you, we need you to get back to work. in the budget last week he announced a series of measures designed to get
the bbc has seen data that suggests older workers are less likely to get jobs at the treasury than younger people. it comes as the chancellorjeremy hunt urges over—50s to return to work, to help tackle staff shortages. the treasury said its recruitment processes were "fair, open and based on merit". our business reporter noor nanji is with me now. tell us more about what was found in the data? we tell us more about what was found in the data? ~ , ., ., ., the data? we used a freedom of information _ the data? we used a freedom of information request _ the data? we used a freedom of information request to _ the data? we used a freedom of information request to see i information request to see recruitment data from the treasury over the past five years and the results were very interesting. what they reveal is that older workers who gotjob interviews that the treasury, they got a lower proportion ofjob offers compared to younger workers. proportion ofjob offers compared to youngerworkers. if proportion ofjob offers compared to younger workers. if we take a look at the numbers we can see 17% of over 50s who got interviews at the treasury were successful at getting job offers. that compares with 20% of people in their 30s and 22% for under 30s. we also asked to see the average age of people working at the
ageist attitudes from recruiters and from companies when they do get through. and this is a real problem, because by 2025, over half of the workforce in the us will be over 50. we have a huge skills shortage. we have a big drive to get over 50s back to work. there is a big gap in the rhetoric getting people to apply for jobs, the rhetoric getting people to apply forjobs, and your story today the rhetoric getting people to apply for jobs, and your story today about the treasury and its own recruitment of over 50s being so low, i think is very typical of what is going on across the country despitejeremy hunt's good intentions. haifa across the country despite jeremy hunt's good intentions. how much is it about staff — hunt's good intentions. how much is it about staff who _ hunt's good intentions. how much is it about staff who don't _ hunt's good intentions. how much is it about staff who don't cost - hunt's good intentions. how much is it about staff who don't cost them i it about staff who don't cost them so much over experience? well there robabl is so much over experience? well there probably is a — so much over experience? well there probably is a bit _ so much over experience? well there probably is a bit of— so much over experience? well there probably is a bit of that. _ so much over experience? well there probably is a bit of that. lots - so much over experience? well there probably is a bit of that. lots of - probably is a bit of that. lots of people were made redundant because
interviews at the treasury, they got a lower proportion ofjob offers compared to younger workers. if we take a look at the numbers we can see 17% of over 50s who got interviews at the treasury were successful at getting job offers. that compares with 20% of people in their 30s and 22% for under 30s. we also asked to see the average age of people working at the treasury. taken as a whole we can see that in december of last year, the average age of people who worked at the treasury was 34 years old. that's well below the average age of workers across the uk, which was 42 according to the latest data we have. just under 10% of people who work at the treasury are over 50 years of age and again that's much lower than the wider workforce, where 32% of people are aged over 50. this data is particularly relevant right now. that's right. chancellorjeremy hunt has been
calling on over 50s to return to the workplace to try to plug some of the staff shortages we are seeing across the economy. jeremy hunt became chancellor in october last year. injanuary he used a speech specifically to appeal to early retirees saying britain needs you, we need you to get back to work. in the budget last week he announced a series of measures designed to get older people back to work. but charities have warned that although many over 50s do want to work, a lot of the time they seem to face discrimination and ageism from recruiters. the treasury said its recruitment processes are fair, open and based on merit. it also says it runs a blind recruitment process that essentially means assessors do not get shown the ages of applicants. the charity age uk says that can be helpful certainly in the early stages, for example when you are sifting through cvs and application letters, but it said that biases can creep
there were more expensive. but it is possible for companies to have compensation for all the workers saying, either you will get made redundant or can we talk about flexibility within the job. what we're seeing on the platform is that flexibility is incredibly important to the over 50s. the women we surveyed, it is 16 times important than traditional status, and i think these companies have really wised up to the fact that the companies are ready to have a conversation about pay and hours. they want the job to fit around their life. the other thing that is really important is having a purpose in doing something that feels worthwhile. the women i have seen who have left theirjobs have seen who have left theirjobs have just got to the point where they don't want to play a corporate game any more. they don't want to play a corporate game any more-—
face really on top of that, they face really ageist attitudes from recruiters and from companies when they do get through. and this is a real problem, because by 2025, over half of the workforce in the us will be over 50. we have a huge skills shortage. we have a big drive to get over 50s back to work. there is a big gap in the rhetoric getting people to apply for jobs, the rhetoric getting people to apply forjobs, and your story today the rhetoric getting people to apply for jobs, and your story today about the treasury and its own recruitment of over 50s being so low, i think is very typical of what is going on across the country despitejeremy hunt's good intentions. haw across the country despite jeremy hunt's good intentions. how much is it about staff — hunt's good intentions. how much is it about staff who _ hunt's good intentions. how much is it about staff who don't _ hunt's good intentions. how much is it about staff who don't cost - hunt's good intentions. how much is it about staff who don't cost them i it about staff who don't cost them so much over experience? well there robabl is so much over experience? well there probably is a — so much over experience? well there probably is a bit _ so much over experience? well there probably is a bit of— so much over experience? well there probably is a bit of that. _ so much over experience? well there probably is a bit of that. lots - so much over experience? well there probably is a bit of that. lots of - probably is a bit of that. lots of people were made redundant because