50 is the new 60 when it comes to defining âolder workerâ Save Share The age at which businesses consider a job candidate or employee an âolder workerâ is coming down, despite a growing number of older Australians pursuing age discrimination cases in tribunals and courts. A survey of more than 600 business leaders by the Human Rights Commission and Australian HR Institute found that 17 per cent of respondents classified 51- to 55-year-old workers as âolderâ, compared with just 11 per cent in 2018. Kay Patterson says businesses stand to lose significant institutional knowledge by ignoring older workers. Andrew Taylor Workers aged 61 to 65 years old were most commonly defined as âolderâ, with 28 per cent of respondents classing them as such. Almost half also admitted they would be reluctant to recruit workers over a specific age.