Nearly one in three jobseekers in East Lindsey are over 50

Nearly one in three jobseekers in East Lindsey are aged 50 or over, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Nearly one in three jobseekers in East Lindsey are aged 50 or over. EMN-190226-092931001Nearly one in three jobseekers in East Lindsey are aged 50 or over. EMN-190226-092931001
Nearly one in three jobseekers in East Lindsey are aged 50 or over. EMN-190226-092931001

The International Longevity Centre-UK (ILC-UK) - a think-tank which specialises in researching the impact of longevity on society - says older unemployed people are hampered by age discrimination, and a lack of flexibility from employers.

In January, 2,515 people were out of work in East Lindsey - of whom 730 were aged 50 or over.

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The data only includes people without a job who are claiming benefits linked to unemployment, either Job Seeker’s Allowance or Universal Credit.

The bulk of unemployed people in East Lindsey were in the 25 to 49 years old group - 1,255 in total, and just 530 were between 16 and 24 years old.

Dr Brian Beach, a senior research fellow at ILC-UK, said: “The key barriers older people face are ageist attitudes and a lack of flexibility in working arrangements.

“Tackling age discrimination must be the number one priority if we are to enable more people who want to work to find jobs in later life.”

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A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said: “Experienced workers are a huge asset to the workforce and there are now 10.4 million over 50s in employment – a record number.

“Through the National Careers Service and personal work coach support at their local Jobcentre Plus, we are supporting older people to get the work they want regardless of their age.

“In addition, our Fuller Working Lives strategy is encouraging employers to recruit, re-train and retain older workers”.

In East Lindsey, the number of people claiming out-of-work benefits rose by 23% in the year to January 2019, compared with a national increase of 23%.

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The ONS puts this rise down to the Universal Credit roll-out process.

A spokesman said: “Under Universal Credit, a broader span of claimants are required to look for work than under Jobseeker’s Allowance.

“As Universal Credit full service is rolled out in particular areas, the number of people recorded as being on the claimant count is therefore likely to rise.”