Employing over 40s

In the last few weeks the Employment and Training Corporation (ETC) held two motivational one day seminars for registered long term unemployed (LTUs) and unemployed registrants aged 40 and over. The aim of these seminars was to help such clients move out of unemployment and social assistance and join the productive workforce.

Over 170 ETC clients attended these two seminars voluntarily. These participants seem to have enjoyed and appreciated ETC's efforts to listen to them and help them. They had the opportunity to speak out on what they expect from ETC and their prospective employers. They also filled in two questionnaires, one on the services offered by the Employment Services Division and another on the Training Services Division.

On both occasions there was a psychologist who helped registrants raise their self-confidence and self-esteem. An assistant director from the Ministry for Social Policy spoke about the advantages of working legally and paying National Insurance as opposed to the disadvantages of working underground.

Six representatives from various employers' organisations, including Malta Employers Association, Malta Mentoring Society, the Chamber of Commerce, FOI, GRTU and MHRA, spoke about what employers expect from the ETC and its unemployed clients. ETC representatives from the Employment Services and the Training Services Divisions spoke at length about what the Corporation expects from employers and unemployed registrants.

During both seminars it emerged that employers expect a better prepared, literate, trained, committed, honest and adaptable workforce. They prefer workers who give their best at the lowest possible labour costs and possess a flexible work approach in order to be more competitive.

Representatives said that employers do not discriminate on the basis of age. Some employers will want to see no insistence on indefinite work contracts in ETC schemes, while others called for more training in line with the labour market's demands. They called on ETC to be more exact when submitting registrants for work in order to avoid time needless interviews and be more effective with job evaders.

The seminars highlighted the registrants' resolution to undertake work which is decently paid and which respects their dignity, experience and safety. Discrimination based on age is not accepted and registrants expect to be employed for what they can do and possess.

The good qualities pertaining to older workers, such as maturity, experience, continuity, seriousness, loyalty, expertise, training received, discipline, acceptance of authority, better customer care, dedication, responsibility and managerial abilities should be given more weight in interviews and in the filling of job vacancies. Job applications should be acknowledged and filled vacancies notified to applicants.

Foreign workers should not be exploited at the expense of the local unemployed, registrants attending the seminars argued. The unemployed want full time, indefinite employment and guaranteed wages, not the uncertainty of definite contracts paid on the minimum wage irrespective of experience and qualifications. Moreover, they want clear work duties rather than being expected to do everything. Early retirement schemes should be discouraged - rationalisation and retraining are preferred.

Officials representing ETC expressed the desire for employers to retrain more workers in-house and to provide ETC with their future training and employment needs. They pledged better communication between ETC and employers, especially on matters related to job vacancies. In return, they asked for the employers' feedback following interviews.

ETC called on employers to offer more indefinite contracts and reasonable wages, especially to participants of ETC schemes such as Training and Employment Exposure Scheme (TEES) for registrants aged 40 and over.

Following the two seminars, ETC has a clearer picture of the employment situation regarding registrants aged 40 and over and the long-term unemployed. Decisions and actions are expected to be taken to remedy the situation for the benefit of both registrants and employers.

When interested parties meet and hear each other's views, change in people's attitudes takes place. The process is slow but sure.

Victor Mifsud is officer in charge of ETC initiatives in favour of the older unemployed at the ETC Employment Services Division.