A lack of access to meaningful training, ageist attitudes and not enough realistic advice and support is creating a barrier for older jobseekers trying to get into work, Age Concern has claimed.
The charity said that older jobseekers would be saving into an occupational pension if they could find work, but that this was proving impossible for some.
A new report from Age Concern entitled Not Ready for the Scrapheap: Looking for Work After 50, found that many older people were motivated to look for work due to financial difficulties, with some needing extra cash for basic household costs and others wanting to build up their pension before retirement.
Age Concern's director general, Gordon Lishman, said that while the new age laws were a good starting point, more needed to be done.
He said: "The government wants people to work for longer to help solve the looming pensions crisis. But unless it actually helps older jobseekers back into work this won't happen. "A transformation of the workplace is clearly long overdue but targeted programmes must also be put in place to support those who are looking for work or to build new skills," he added.
The charity estimates that the current under-employment of over 50s costs the UK economy around £30 billion every year.
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