Why Are We Throwing Away 50 Years of Talent? The Absurdity of Ageism in Recruitment

Alright, let’s talk about recruitment—because apparently, it’s completely broken. And not in a cute, “let’s-repair-this-with-some-glue-and-tape” way. No, it’s broken in that way where you just throw up your hands and say, “Screw it! Let’s burn it down and start over!” And honestly, if recruitment was a building, I’d be holding the matches. Let me explain why.

You see, businesses are in a panic. They’re running around like headless chickens, squawking about a “talent shortage.” According to some very serious people in suits, our working-age population is going to shrink by 25% over the next couple of decades.

That’s right! Fewer young people to do all the things we need at companies, like making coffee, managing spreadsheets, and pretending to care about company culture. And businesses are absolutely terrified that they won’t be able to find young, fresh, attractive talent to replace the legions of workers retiring or, you know, dropping dead.

What’s the solution, you ask? Well, they’re clearly not asking that question, because their solution seems to be: "Ignore anyone over 50! Definitely don’t hire them!"

Wait... what?

Yes. Despite all their whining about needing people, they’re simultaneously giving the middle finger to a massive pool of experienced, highly qualified candidates because they’re, what, over the hill? “Too old” at 50.

Which is a bit rich when you consider the average life expectancy is inching closer to 100. So let me get this straight: you’re telling me I’m supposed to live to 100 but be professionally dead by 50? What the hell am I going to do with those 50 extra years? Sudoku?

It’s not like the talent pool is overflowing with baby-faced geniuses, either. But despite that, businesses are laser-focused on securing younger workers, scrambling to lure in fresh grads with the promise of ping-pong tables and casual Fridays. The result? We have armies of overworked HR folks slogging through a mountain of CVs, many of which were lovingly crafted by... AI.

Yes, AI. Because nothing says “I care deeply about this job” quite like asking ChatGPT to write your cover letter.

And this, my friends, is where things get hilariously, tragically absurd. AI-driven recruitment has lowered the barrier to entry so much that anyone with a pulse and a wifi connection can apply for thousands of jobs with the click of a button.

And what do employers get for their trouble? They get a sea of sameness. Thousands of applicants with eerily similar resumes, because when you outsource your application process to a robot, you’re not exactly standing out from the crowd.

You’d think, at this point, that businesses would be desperate for some fresh ideas. Maybe, just maybe, they’d look at older workers, people with experience, people who know their way around an office, people who won’t ask, “What’s a fax machine?”

But no. They’re too busy obsessing over millennials and Gen Zs, even though, spoiler alert: there aren’t enough of them to go around!

Here’s where it gets even more ridiculous. By 2030, half the workforce in the UK will be 50 or older. Half. That’s not some niche group of gray-haired people shuffling toward retirement; that’s a massive portion of the labor market. So why on earth are businesses ignoring this talent pool?

We’re not talking about people who need to be propped up in their wheeled wakers to answer phones. We’re talking about experienced professionals, people who have been honing their skills for decades. People who can fix things.

But nope. Apparently, 50 is the new dead.

And let me tell you, it’s not just a matter of businesses being ageist. It’s worse than that. It’s businesses being idiotic. You need workers? You have workers. They’re right there. They’re just a bit older than you’d like. But here’s the kicker: most of them are still perfectly capable of doing the job, and doing it better than some of these fresh-faced rookies who think Slack is an instrument you play in a band.

We’re living longer! Isn’t it amazing? Medical advancements, better healthcare, kale smoothies—whatever it is, it’s working. The average person can now expect to live well into their 90s or even beyond 100. So, if I’m going to be around until I’m 100, what exactly do you expect me to do with those last 50 years if I’m being kicked out of the workforce at 50? Start a crochet club? Become a professional bird watcher?

This whole notion that you’re “too old” at 50 is laughably outdated. It made sense in the 1950s when people didn’t live past 65. But now? It’s absurd! We should be begging experienced professionals to stay in the workforce longer.

They’ve got the skills, the knowledge, and—this is important—they’re not going to ghost you after three months because they’re “looking for more meaningful work.” They already know what’s meaningful: a steady paycheck and decent benefits.

But businesses, bless their hearts, keep shooting themselves in the foot. Instead of embracing this older, wiser workforce, they’re clinging to some outdated fantasy where 20-somethings with startup dreams save the day. But spoiler alert: most of those 20-somethings are struggling to pay rent and might not actually be ready to shoulder the corporate burden you’re throwing at them.

It’s high time we stop pretending that being 50 means you’re obsolete. Hell, you’ve still got half your life left! In Japan, they’ve figured this out. They have a massive aging population problem, and guess what? They’re encouraging seniors to stay in the workforce, even creating specialized programs to tap into their talents.

Japan knows what’s up. They’re not sitting around saying, “Oh no, we don’t want these old people working for us.” They’re like, “Holy crap, we need people. Let’s hire the folks who know what they’re doing.”

And here’s another fun fact: studies show that older workers are more loyal, more reliable, and often more engaged than their younger counterparts. You want to reduce employee turnover? Hire the people who won’t flake out on you the minute they get a better offer from Google.

Older workers are less likely to job-hop, and more likely to stick around and help your company grow. But instead, companies are stuck in this fantasy where the only solution to their talent shortage is to fight over the dwindling pool of young people, throwing outrageous salaries at them and hoping that money alone will keep them.

Well, guess what? It won’t.

And while you’re doing that, there’s a whole army of older professionals out there, ready and willing to work. But you won’t hire them. Why? Because you think they’re too old?

Because they’ve got a few gray hairs? Oh please. You’re missing the point entirely.

We need to rethink the way we approach aging and work. If we’re going to be living longer, we need to be working longer. That doesn’t mean working ourselves to exhaustion until we collapse, but it does mean recognizing that people in their 50s, 60s, and yes, even 70s, can still contribute in meaningful ways.

And not just in a “mentor” role, where we pat them on the head and say, “Thanks for your wisdom, now go retire in Florida.” No, they should be fully integrated into the workforce.

Look, we’re staring down the barrel of a workforce crisis. The numbers don’t lie. The pool of young workers is shrinking, and it’s not going to magically refill itself. We’ve got an aging population that’s ready to work.

So why the hell aren’t we taking advantage of that?

So, here’s my question to you: Why are we fighting tooth and nail for a smaller, younger talent pool when we’ve got experienced, capable workers right in front of us?

And more importantly, what are you planning to do for the next 50 years if you’re pushed out at 50?

Is there some kind of midlife version of TikTok that I haven’t heard about? Because otherwise, this doesn’t make any sense.

Let’s hear your thoughts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrQFFH2V8g0&list=WL&index=60