Age discrimination complaints soar

THE number of age discrimination complaints to employment tribunals increased by 74% in the past year, according to new research.

Rest Less, which offers advice to over-50s, said the number of cases reached 3,668 in 2020.

It said its analysis of official statistics suggested that age discrimination saw the biggest annual increase of all complaints.

Rest Less predicted that the number of age discrimination complaints is set to increase further in the coming months because of large numbers of redundancies among the over-50s last year.

Founder Stuart Lewis said workers in their 50s and 60s have had a challenging time in the labour market over the past 12 months, adding: “Unemployment levels soared by 48% year on year and redundancies amongst the over-50s hit an all-time high in 2020.

“Additionally, with more than one million workers over the age of 50 still on furlough, and business concerns around the potential for new virus variants to delay reopening, we fear a new wave of redundancies may be on the horizon.

“We know that the pandemic has exacerbated age discrimination in the workplace and the recruitment process.

“Age discrimination is unfair, unacceptable and has long-term damaging consequences on both the individuals involved and wider society. It needs to stop.”

Patrick Thomson, of the Centre for Ageing Better, said: “Employment tribunals are often the last course of action for people facing discrimination in the workplace, and it is worrying to see so many older workers needing to pursue them.”