It is all well and good to make glib remarks about retraining, but anyone that says that really has no idea what is going on. Unemployed people are least able to retrain to change career even though they are most likely in need of a career change.

Retraining is not a realistic option for the unemployed if they already have other qualifications. Training costs MONEY. Full price must be paid - no subsidies - if other qualifications of equivalent or higher level are already held. Money is a commodity in desperately short supply for the unemployed.
Inability to access retraining due to the prohibitive cost is a major barrier to re-entering the workforce for the unemployed.

Now hear is a good idea, how about leaving the pension age at 65.  Yes I know it won't happen, put it up to 70.          

longweekend58 wrote on Jul 23^rd, 2014 at 11:45am:

I agree the idea has some holes in it, but the reasoning is simple - someone who has been unemployed waits longer for the pension than someone who has worked continuously. The pension age would be 65 to 70 (with exact age dependent on number of years spent unemployed).

Discuss.

‘Past it’ over 45s told to retrain

    The Australian
    July 23, 2014


EMPLOYERS regard workers as over the hill at 45, Age Discrimination Commissioner Susan Ryan said yesterday as she criticised Australia’s “deeply ageist’’ culture.       

Warning they risked years on the dole queue, Ms Ryan urged middle-aged workers to retrain and upskill early to prolong their careers. 

Four out of 10 workers who lose their job in their 50s or 60s will spend at least two years on the dole, she said.   

One in five of the over-50s on Newstart have been out of work for at least four years.      

“People who are 45 should start thinking about the future and check their need to retrain if they are in a dying industry,’’ Ms Ryan told The Australian. 

“After 45, it’s harder and harder to find a job.’’ 

In a speech to be delivered to the CPA Australia in Melbourne today, Ms Ryan will say there is “no point’’ in the federal government raising the pension age to 70 by 2030 without “attitudinal change’’ towards older workers.       

“There is no point requiring people to work longer if age discrimination prevents them from getting a job,’’ her speech will say. 

“Our culture is deeply ageist … age discrimination in the workplace is still a huge problem. 

“Given the skills shortages in our economy, and the very low birthrate that means fewer young workers coming on to the market, the failure of business to use the talent pool of older workers is irrational and self-­defeating.’’

Ms Ryan said the over-50s control 40 per cent of Australia’s wealth, with discretionary spending power of $218 billion. 

She will meet Australian Public Service Commissioner Stephen Sedgwick this week to push for recruitment targets for over-50s workers, as well as those with disabilities, in government departments.

She said the public service should take the lead in providing career opportunities for disadvantaged workers. 

Ms Ryan said older workers were being targeted in redundancy programs. 

“When redundancies are offered, there is a fair bit of pressure on people in their 50s and 60s to take one,’’ she said.    

“The unspoken thing is, ‘You’ve had a good run, move over’. 

“But it would be better to restructure the person’s job to include a lot of mentoring and training for young people. 

“The young person will have the IT skills but young people don’t have the corporate knowledge and client relationship experience that you get when you’ve been working for ­decades.’’