Mature engineers feel discriminated against: report

A new report from CPA Australia has found "mature age" engineers believe the job market is discriminating against them.

The Accounting for Experience report outlines the findings of a pilot project conducted under CPA Australia's Mature Age Retention in the Accountancy Profession Project.

The pilot involved discussions with 12 focus groups of CPA accountants, business members of the Canberra Business Council and Australian Business Limited, and professional members of the ACT Law Council and Engineers Australia.

The average age of the engineering group was over 60. The report said the group "felt the engineering profession allowed for people to work into very old age", but "mature age workers were discriminated against within the job market".

"One of the participants who had been involved in employing engineers said that he had automatically knocked out 10 of 50 applicants for a position because they were mature age," it said.

"This was done because of a 'feeling senior management would not be pleased', rather than the candidates lacking any particular qualities."

The group said it would be beneficial for mature age engineers to have access to a professional placement program to assist them to transition out of the full-time workforce or into more flexible arrangements.

A copy of the report Accounting for Experience is available at CPA Australia's website.