Media Release

Age Diversity Report: Mature Age Participation in Australian ICT Sector Poor Compared to Other First World Countries

ACS Report outlines national strategy to address age discrimination

View the report
Listen to Brenda Aynsley's interview with ABC Radio, Canberra Drive.


Thursday, 15th July 2010, Australia - The Australian Computer Society today released a report highlighting the impact and potential economic costs of age discrimination in the ICT workforce. The Report reveals Australia’s mature age participation rate is below that of comparable countries such as Canada, United Kingdom, New Zealand and the United States - with perceptions of skills obsolescence a key factor in workplace discrimination against older workers within this country.

Recommendations in the ACS Report include: introducing a self regulatory code of practice in this area for the ICT sector, and collaboration between government, industry and the Human Rights Commission to create attitudinal change amongst Australian employers.

The Improving Age Diversity in the ICT Workforce Report, released by the ACS Ageism Task Force, outlines the significant underuse of older workers (aged 45 years and over) in the Australian ICT workforce despite a protracted period of skills shortages. The Report provides recommendations for governments, employers and recruiters to address misconceptions around older workers and to implement programs to draw on the wealth of ICT skills currently available within this section of our workforce.

ACS CEO, Bruce Lakin said, “Ageism is a growing reality in Australia - but so is an increasing awareness that workers 45 years and older represent a resource and knowledge base we need to continue to reinvest in.

“While age discrimination can be difficult to prove, its existence, increasing pervasiveness and negative impacts on mature workers and the workplace in general is undeniable. Age discrimination creates unacceptable levels of unemployment and underemployment amongst those over 45 years which has economic, as well as social and psychological costs. With reported skill shortages within the Australian ICT sector, the underemployment of older workers is a problem which demands significant focus. I thank Brenda Aynsley, VP Membership Boards, Chair of ACS Ageism Task Force and her team for their input to the Report,” said Mr Lakin.

ACS President, Anthony Wong said the Government’s policy to encourage workers to remain in the workforce beyond their traditional retirement age, combined with the increasing demands on the technology sector, should provide a powerful incentive to reverse this negative dynamic.

Perceptions of older workers in the ICT workforce outlined in the ACS Report:

  • being less healthy or more prone to disability;
  • being underqualified or having obsolete skills;
  • unable to learn new skills;
  • being over qualified;
  • unable to adapt to new or younger work cultures;
  • looking towards retirement so not worth training;
  • resistant to change; and
  • less adaptive to new technologies.

Skills obsolescence, a common reason put forward within the technology sector for discriminating against older workers, has two main factors:
  • skills obsolescence due to technology changes; and
  • skills obsolescence triggered by changes in job context[1]

Mr Wong said, “According to the Intergenerational Report 2010[2], Australia’s mature age participation rate is below that of comparable countries such as Canada, United Kingdom, New Zealand and the United States. Across many first world countries employment in the ICT sector is heavily skewed towards the 25 to 44 age group. In Australia the average age for an ICT worker is 39 as it is in the EU and UK and in Germany the vast majority are under 44[3]. From the ACS’s recent Employment Surveys, we have noticed those over 45 years tend to make up the bulk of unemployed professionals”.

The ACS strongly supports calls from the Commissioner responsible for Age Discrimination for reforms to help reduce ageism within the Australian workforce, The ACS recommends the following actions for the Australian ICT sector:

ACS Ageism Task Force Report recommendations:

1. Government, industry, industry and professional associations should partner to build a stronger Australian evidentiary base upon which to go forward – extent of ageism, impacts on unemployment, the reasons why it is happening, under-employment and hidden unemployment.

2. The Federal Government should specifically fund the Australian Human Rights Commission to actively develop and coordinate a national strategy, which includes the States and Territories, to address ageism across all Australian States and Territories.

3. The development of a government policy and framework to acknowledge and quantify the cost and other impacts of ageism, economic benefits to firms from employing older workers and to educate employers and employment agents on improving age diversity in the workforce.

4. The ICT profession, industry, employment agents and their representative bodies should form a task force to address the issue of ageism and develop practical solutions that can be adopted by employers and employment agents to improve transparency in the recruitment process and ensure people are assessed on the basis of their skills and capability.

5. The ICT profession, industry and employment agents in the ICT sector develop a self regulatory code of practice and ethical statement on addressing ageism and improving age diversity and transparency in recruitment processes.

6. Government and industry should develop and fund an ongoing education campaign to facilitate cultural and attitudinal change, address misconceptions and stereotypes around age and promote the benefits of a diverse workforce that captures the benefits of workers of all ages.

7. As part of its commitment to increasing the participation rate of older workers, the Government should develop policy, regulatory and taxation incentives for employers to provide ongoing professional development and to retain and/or hire older workers. This could be done in consultation with the proposed task force from recommendation 4.

Elizabeth Broderick, the Commissioner responsible for Age Discrimination, Australian Human Rights Commission said “Negative stereotypes often lie at the heart of age discrimination. That’s why an important part of our work is to help foster positive community attitudes towards young and older Australians. In relation to older Australians, in particular, many recent reports have emphasised the negative consequences of age discrimination on the wellbeing of older Australians and the broader consequences for the community. The ACS Age Diversity Report reveals age discrimination of older workers is occurring within the Australian ICT workforce.

“There is also evidence that the ageing of Australia’s population will lead to an increase in the problem of age discrimination if Government action is not taken to address this issue. We call on ICT industry leaders and the Federal Government to support the initiatives and recommendations detailed by the ACS Age Diversity Report, to ensure all of Australia’s highly skilled ICT workers are employed”, said Ms Broderick.

The ACS Age Diversity Report, Improving Age Diversity in the ICT Workforce, can be located at: http://www.acs.org.au/agediversity

- Ends –

Media information:
Emily Venardos (02) 9492 1033 or mobile: 0413 743 737
Seni Murni (02) 9299 3666 or mobile: 0410 029 706

About the ACS: The ACS (Australian Computer Society) is the recognised professional association for those working in Information and Communications Technology, seeking to raise the standing of ICT professionals and represent their views to government, industry and the community. A member of the Australian Council of Professions, the ACS is the guardian of professional ethics and standards in the ICT sector, committed to ensuring the beneficial use of ICT for all Australians. It provides both members and non-members with opportunities for professional education, networking and certification, as well as enabling them to contribute to the development of their profession. Visit www.acs.org.au for more.


[1] Syed, J., ‘Redesigning Skill Policy for an Ageing Australia’, International Journal of the Humanities, 4, 40 – 52, 2007

[2] Australia to 2050: Future Challenges, Department of Finance and Deregulation, January 2010

[3] Schwarz-Woelzl, M., Oblak, M., & Healy, M., ‘Become an Employer of Choice’, Project No. 2006 – A/06/B/F/PP-158.303, published by Mature@EU, January 2008, available at www.mature-project.eu
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