News item | 11-24-2022 | 15:02
Offer senior job seekers the chance to showcase their skills before applying for jobs. That is the essence of a new pilot, in which seniors can take a competency test for free before responding to a vacancy. This should prevent employers from rejecting older jobseekers in advance because of their age alone.
The pilot is one of the measures taken by Minister Van Gennip of Social Affairs and Employment to improve the position of seniors on the labor market. She writes this today to the House of Representatives in her letter ‘Senior Opportunities Vision’. In it she also announces a broad practical exploration, in which she wants to look for new policy instruments that really help seniors’ job opportunities, together with employers, social organizations and the SER, among others.
Minister Van Gennip: “Seniors make an important contribution to our society. They can mean even more if given the right opportunities and valued. The Netherlands is aging and we see that the over-55s are over-represented in the group of long-term unemployed. Seniors who still want to work themselves, wrongly have less chance when applying for a job. We need to value seniors again.”
Revaluation of the over-55s
In addition to the practical exploration and various pilots, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, together with UWV, is focusing on more intensive guidance for job seekers. A start will be made with public communication on the theme of ‘continuing to work after state pension age’. This communication is aimed at employers and the increase of their level of knowledge about the possibilities and benefits of working with old age pensioners.
With the senior opportunities vision, Minister Van Gennip is committed to a better labor market position of jobseekers and working seniors. In addition, she wants to find solutions in consultation with society for, among other things, the negative image among employers. This integrated approach should lead to a revaluation of the over-55s in the labor market.