How can experienced professionals navigate an age-biased job market

Abdullah, a senior oil and gas professional who did not want to give out his last name, said he has sent over 100 job applications in the last few years, but has hardly heard back from recruiters. 

“My job was canceled about eight months ago, and my company moved me to a lower position doing menial tasks,” he says. “So, I’ve been applying for jobs that are within my skill set, but it has been a very demoralizing experience. I keep receiving automated rejections, sometimes even minutes after applying.” 

Rapid rejection, on its own, does not establish why an application was unsuccessful. But age bias concerns many experienced workers. In US research by AARP, 64% of workers aged 50 and older said they had seen or experienced age discrimination at work, while 22% felt they were being pushed out because of their age. The figures describe US respondents and should not be treated as a measure of the problem in the Middle East.

Ageism may not be a new phenomenon in the job market, but it seems to be getting worse. 

Louise Vine, founder of Inspire Selection, a Dubai-based boutique recruitment agency specializing in finance and accounting roles, is not surprised by ageism in the job market. “Ageism is a big thing,” she says. “Many of my clients don’t want someone over the age of 45. But when you reach a certain level of seniority, such as C-level, you normally do so around 45. However, many companies still want a young CFO or a young CMO.”

THE PERCEPTION PROBLEM

Experienced candidates can face assumptions that they cost more, adapt slowly, or struggle with technology, regardless of their actual skills and performance. Vine says salary expectations and concerns about fitting into a younger team can shape employers’ decisions.

It also doesn’t help that the region’s job market is filled with young, educated, and digitally native candidates. According to an ILO report, the Middle East has highly educated and skilled youth, yet faces one of the highest regional youth unemployment rates in the world, ranging from 24% to 28%.

This means there is already fierce competition in the job market, especially in countries like the UAE, where there are more job seekers than jobs available. As a result, employers can be selective, basing hiring decisions not only on talent but also on cost.

“People are looking for cheap,” adds Vine. “They want someone who’s within the budget. There’s maybe an expectation that as you get older, you want more money.”

“And if there’s a young team, if it’s quite a young culture, do they want to bring someone in who’s 58 years old? Are they going to fit? Can they keep up, especially with the technology?”

Yet Vine believes a multigenerational team can add value to organizations. While experienced professionals bring wisdom and resilience, the younger generation brings tech savviness to the workplace.

Darren Streete, founder of Deconstructing HR, a Dubai-based firm providing HR solutions and services, believes that as AI is increasingly being adopted in the workplace, human skills and capabilities are becoming even more valuable. 

“Strategic decision-making is where people with the experience and history would be able to add value to a company,” he says. “For example, when it comes to AI, the older generation can evaluate the input in terms of what its use case is and what perhaps can be amended or adjusted further, whereas the younger generation is relatively tech-savvy and can incorporate technology into their workflow. And that means that things can potentially move a lot faster.”

WHAT CAN EMPLOYEES DO?

Employers have a role to play in reducing bias toward older professionals, particularly if they use AI tools to screen candidates. 

Streete recommends that HR professionals guide companies, particularly those using AI tools for hiring, to make the process as unbiased as possible. “You can train it [AI] to say we won’t take age as a bias metric, we won’t take gender as a bias metric, and therefore, it should solely evaluate the CV against the job profile,” he adds.

In the meantime, however, experienced candidates need to go beyond mass online applications to secure interviews. Hossam Soliman, founder of DEXPERT, a Cairo-based HR consultancy firm, says that until candidates reach the interview stage, they are just names on CVs.

“They really have to find a way, whether by working with a headhunter, applying directly to a person, or through a reference, to get to the interview stage,” he adds. “The interview stage is where you can sell yourself and show how you can really add value.”

A specific request can make networking more useful. For example, contact a former colleague to ask how a target employer is changing or whether they can suggest the right hiring contact. Share the role and a short explanation of the experience you would bring; avoid asking someone to endorse work they cannot personally assess.

Job seekers can also go a step further by reaching out to HR managers and job holders directly if they feel well suited for the role. “You need to go over and beyond just applying online to contact someone in person,” adds Vine.

Beyond online applications, Soliman encourages candidates to keep an open mind and explore opportunities outside their sector. They can consider alternative industries and use transferable skills like communication, problem-solving, and leadership to transition into other roles.

“You can use assessment tools and exercises to learn about your skills and how you can transfer them to other industries,” says Soliman. “So, if you’re good at communication, for example, you work in a PR agency. If you’re good at operations, maybe you could work in FMCG. Think outside the box.”

From his experience, people who reinvent themselves in their second stage of life tend to be more fulfilled at work. “They tend to be happier than if they had stayed in the same field, because they’re trying something new,” he explains. “Trying something different and new can be exciting. It can give them back their passion, and make them believe in themselves again.”