Youth and wisdom can work wonders: Older workers can do the job

WORKERS young and old desperately need jobs — and the economy needs more people paying taxes and fewer claiming Newstart allowances.

Ross Greenwood talks at the Inner West Small Business Expo at West Ashfield.

BUSINESS across Australia has a dilemma with its workers. While rising unemployment and a lower participation rate mean, technically, there are more workers available, employers continue to use 457 visas to bring workers into the country to make up a shortfall in skills.

This occurs despite persistently high youth and senior unemployment levels.

And it raises questions about training young people needed for skilled jobs, and whether industry is prepared to hire the older workers who (presumably) have the skills required.

Yet workers young and old desperately need jobs — and the economy needs more people paying taxes and fewer claiming Newstart allowances.

I constantly hear about people over 50 finding it ­almost impossible to get work.

The Age Discrimination Commissioner, Susan Ryan, says age discrimination in our community is more prevalent than sex discrimination.

This flies in the face of the needs of the community and the economy. Treasurer Joe Hockey, in introducing the Intergenerational Report, said: “We need to encourage those currently not in the workforce, especially older Australians and women, to enter, re-enter and stay in work, where they choose to do so.”

And the same report projects the number of Australians aged over 65 will double in the next 40 years.

It says: “This trend is already visible, with the number of people aged between 15 and 64 for every person aged 65 and over having fallen from 7.3 people in 1974-75 to an estimated 4.5 today. By 2054-55, this is projected to nearly halve again to 2.7 people.”

In short, older workers will need to work, because they will not have enough superannuation to retire (as their grandparents did) aged 55 or 60 ... and employers will need the workers because the skills shortage will become worse.

A constant complaint is that younger workers do not have the breadth of skills ­required to take up a range of work (in other words, they ­require more on-the-job or vocational training).

The labour crisis will become increasingly difficult for small business, especially, as it tries to compete with larger organisations for skilled workers. This is where older workers are potentially important for small business.

The Federal Government’s Restart Wage Subsidy gives employers up to $10,000 ­financial assistance when they provide jobs to people aged 50 or older. The employer receives four payments over 24 months if they hire a full-time mature job seeker who has been unemployed and on income support for six months.

Another program, Corporate Champions, supports large employers with resources rather than cash if they commit to recruiting and retaining staff aged over 45.

The scheme involves personnel companies and industry bodies, with full details available at the website ­employment.gov.au.

NO PUPILS IN THE PIPELINE

DAVID Fox worries about his industry. For 34 years, L & A Pressure Welding has prospered because of its specialist skills and the expansion of the oil and gas industry in Australia.

Though the work has diminished because of new manufacturing techniques — notably modular designed pressure vessels that can be built overseas, shipped here on barges and assembled in Australia — there is still steady work around.

The problem is the ageing of the workforce, and a lack of young people prepared to commit to the metals trade.

“What happens in four or five years’ time when the older guys get too old?” Mr Fox, the general managing of L & A, wonders out loud.

David Fox, General Manager of L & A Pressure Welding Revesby / Picture: Craig Greenhill

The business has 18 workers on the shopfloor and 10 in the office.

At its peak, when it was making liquefied natural gas trains for Woodside’s North-West Shelf project, it had 45 on the floor. One worker, Jack Martens, is now 86 and does a day a week (”he lives quite close”) and a number of others are in their sixties.

While the workforce is ageing, Mr Fox says: “You need the younger guys as well. We do jobs with heights and confined spaces so it’s hard putting older guys in those positions. I haven’t seen a young person for years who thinks they can make a career out of this.”

He says while L & A is not a wealthy company, it pays above award wages. He says young people he meets lack the patience and the vision to see where a career as a specialist welder could take them.