Study reveals levels of age discrimination in Swiss workplace

People who lose their jobs over the age of 55 often find it difficult to find new work. Keystone / Laurent Gillieron

Older workers continue to face discrimination in the workplace in Switzerland. According to a study published on Thursday by the employment firm von Rundstedt, three-quarters of human resources managers acknowledge the existence of age discrimination in Swiss companies.

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According to the studyExternal link, older workers remain clearly disadvantaged in the job market. Despite the shortage of skilled workers, 77% of respondents reported age discrimination. However, more than half (54%) believe that individual behaviour also plays a role, while 46% believe that even the most motivated and proactive older employees have few career prospects.

Anne Donou, director of von Rundstedt’s French-speaking Switzerland office, notes a striking contradiction between firms’ stated intentions and the reality at work.

“We see their added value, we recognise their added value. We also know the criteria and skills they bring. But when it comes to pressing the button or signing the contract, we don’t go there,” she told Swiss public radio RTS on Friday.

‘A lot of bias’

According to Donou, this reluctance to employ older workers is explained primarily by psychological barriers.

“There are a lot of biases, conscious or unconscious. This generation has been stigmatised as not agile, not flexible, not digital. And indeed, in the periods of profound digital transformation that we are currently experiencing, people prefer a younger person, thinking that things will go faster,” she told RTS.

Translated from French by DeepL/sb

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