MAN IN HIS 40S GOT RETRENCHED & CAN’T FIND JOB, CAN’T FIGHT WITH YOUNGER JOB SEEKERS

Why is it so hard to find a job after age 40?

My uncle in his late 40s got retrenched a few months ago. We only knew last weekend as he approached my dad for job recommendations as he’s getting desperate.

Despite hundreds of job applications and help from career guides, he’s only gotten a few interviews and the only offer he got was from a SME with a >70% paycut and he did not take up.

Apparently he was told during interviews that they prefer someone more junior or he was overqualified even though the job more than match his experiences.

I knew it is not easy to find jobs but I didnt expect it is so especially hard for someone like him with relevant experience in the industry. And it is not like he stayed in one job all his life.

he moved around every few years early in his career and has been in the current (ex) company since his early 40s.

Im worried that I may meet the same fate as him at his age, with kids to feed and a huge mortgage. I think 40s is not that old with more than 20 years until retirement. Why don’t companies hire someone like him?

Netizens’ comments

1. Young got passion,lesser pay & exp.Easier to manipulate.
2. usually at that age, pple try to move to public sector, less likely to be retrenched
3. -MNCs don’t have enough senior roles here – these are all in their HQ in other countries
   -SMEs generally operate on a smaller scale and don’t have growth ambition
   -The job market is bad now
4. When interviewing them, I’m more wary usually due to IT skills. They cannot google for answers and needs spoon-feeding. In my previous job, these were the kind of people who kept calling me for help when printer refuses to print, their office apps cannot navigate, their pc got issues.
5. Honestly it’s true. I had a hiring recently and the candidates above 40… let’s just say I rather hire fresh grads. A lot of the older folks have this very boomer mindset and reek of desperation. I had one who broke down and teared during the interview when asked a simple question. Not blaming them, but it’s a cautionary tale to not be overleveraged and not make children.
   The working world is incredibly ageist. Why would I pay double the wages for this old boomer who will fight us at every step to get the work done?