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Article Excerpt
CRS Australia (formerly known as Commonwealth Rehabilitation Service) is an Australian Government agency providing vocational rehabilitation services to Australian citizens or residents with a disability, injury or health condition. In 2003, as one part of the Australian Government's Australians Working Together initiative, the Department of Family and Community Services and CRS Australia proceeded with a series of pilot programs to enable greater participation in the workforce by at-risk groups such as youth, people with chronic pain, and the mature-aged.
This paper deals with the development, implementation, and evaluation of a pilot project to deliver pre-vocational services to mature age job seekers (i.e. aged 50 years and over). The mature age pre-vocational pilot program was prompted by an increase in government funding of vocational rehabilitation programs for this group (up from 293 in 2002-03 to 1823 by 2004-05). With the dramatic increase in referrals came the concerning possibility of a corresponding rise in the number of cases that would not proceed from intake assessment (1) to a rehabilitation program due to perceived lack of motivation or inability to make a substantial improvement in their circumstances. It was therefore important to have a strategy in place to address these issues so that mature aged clients were effectively assisted to engage in services as early as possible.
Background
Retaining workers aged over 50 years in employment is a key priority for the Australian Government, given trends of falling fertility and increased longevity (Business Work and Ageing, 2002). This is recognised in the abolition of compulsory retirement in most Australian states and territories (with the exception of Northern Territory and Tasmania) (Brooke, 2002; Winefield et al., 2002).
A report on workplace age discrimination (Victorian South Australian and Western Australian Equal Opportunity Commissions and the Australian employers convention, 2001), however, found that "recruitment practices commonly prevent and discourage older workers from seeking and achieving employment" (Brooke, 2002; p 4). In the workplace, older workers also encounter discrimination in accessing training opportunities (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1997) and have become the targets of corporate downsizing and restructuring. Those who move as the result of redundancy are less successful in the labour market than those who move by choice (Lawless, Martin, & Hardy, 1998).
Long-term unemployment duration for Australian mature-aged workers has shown some concerning trends. In August 2002:
* Male jobseekers over 45 had an average duration of unemployment of 101.8 weeks--2.3 times that of younger jobseekers (44.2 weeks)
* For female jobseekers over 45, the figures are 109.7 weeks-2.5 times that of females under 45 (44.5 weeks) (Brooke, 2002)
Mature-aged job seekers are more likely to be perceived as being less motivated (64% of mature-aged versus 57% of total job-seeking population, according to job seeker profile analysis by Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, 2002).
Mature-aged people with disabilities are further disadvantaged. Evidence suggests that many people who experience midcareer disabilities are more likely than ever before to take early retirement rather than to attempt to surmount the disability and return to work (Bowe, 1986).
Not surprisingly, mature-age jobseekers are more than four times more likely than other age groups to be a discouraged job seeker (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2000b). These are defined as "having marginal attachment to the labour force who wanted to work and were available to start work ... but whose main reason for not actively looking for work was that they believed they would not find a job" (Brooke, 2002; p 21).
Almost half of discouraged job seekers left work for illness, stress, or caring reasons, and most saw their health as a barrier to re-entering the workforce (Lim-Applegate, 2002). Vinokur & Schul (2002; p 72) also conclude that "unemployed people who are demoralised and depressed are also depleted of mental and physical energy needed for mounting successful job search strategies".
Job loss in middle or later age has been found to be more damaging to psychological health than unemployment for the young (Winefield et al., 2002). Winefield et al. (2002) also state that 90% of retrenched mature-aged workers report a decline in mental or physical health, but interestingly 10% report an improvement, which is usually associated with leaving a job that was extremely stressful, mentally or physically.
The literature also supports the fact that the longer a person is unemployed, the lower their chances are of returning to employment (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2000a; Lawless et al., 1998; MacKay, 1998). This underscores the need for early intervention to reduce the cost to the individual, the community and the government.
A review of the evidence for interventions with mature aged unemployed was undertaken, although there was little peer-reviewed published material available. Sanderson et al. (1999) tracked participants in labour market schemes and analysed results in terms of different age ranges. One theme...
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