第一篇:I suspect if you were to ask many of those in their late 40s and older if ageism could hold Australia back, their answer would be "yes". That disappointing view would invariably be based on their personal experiences in the workforce. Ageism will hold us back because, with an ageing population, we need to increase participation by older workers in the workforce.The evidence over recent decades indicates older people are underemployed for longer periods than younger workers. Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show more than 35 per cent of jobseekers aged 55 and over stopped looking for work because they believed potential employers thought they were too old. These older people excluded from the workforce account for more than half the total number of jobseekers who gave up looking for work. Older workers face ageist stereotypes and biases, especially in the workplace and in recruitment. These negative attitudes label them as too costly, too inflexible and too difficult to train. As a society, we are discarding valuable older workers far too early. The stereotype of people studying in their youth, working hard in a career and retiring at 65 no longer applies. We need to change the way we view older people. This is not just because it is demeaning and discriminatory, but because we need to revalue their potential contribution in the workplace. To safeguard our way of life, we must maintain our incomes and keep people in jobs. In short, we need to keep the economy growing. One of the key drivers of long-term growth is widely recognised as having more people in the workforce. Unfortunately, if we do not adjust our approach, the long-term outlook for Australia is lower economic growth. Why? Because our population and our economy are changing and that will impact heavily on our workforce participation. The government will soon launch the 2015 intergenerational report. The report is the most comprehensive examination of demography and current policy. It evaluates how these changes will affect the economy and government finances over the next 40 years. It will show there will be fewer people of traditional working age as a proportion of the population in the years to come.