In some countries it is illegal to stop people applying for a job because of their age. Is this a positive or a negative development?

Most countries understand the benefit of being impartial and not discriminating against applicants based on many criteria including

age

. It is

therefore

a punishable offence in these nations to deny jobs on the basis of

age

. In my opinion,

this

move is largely positive, but there are a few drawbacks which should be addressed.

Age

should not be a criterion for applying candidates who are capable and possess the required qualifications and experience. It is certainly unfair to discriminate against job seekers if they are old even though they have the determination and confidence to perform well for a given role. Denying jobs for

such

people even if they possess required skills ,

for instance

, could lead to unemployment among senior citizens which could have a devastating effect on the country’s growing economy as they might have to depend on the government’s pension or monetary benefits for the rest of their lives. To avoid being a burden to society, interested applicants who are qualified and able to perform well in necessary interviews should be allowed to apply.

Although

age

should not be a factor while deciding a suitable candidate for a position in a company, there could be certain challenges. After certain years, people might face some difficulties in adapting to the latest technology or frequent changes within the company. It is generally believed that it takes more time as well as resources to train employees who have years of work experience sometimes due to difficulty in adapting or losing learning capabilities. The thirst for knowledge might slowly fade away. In the IT industry ,

for instance

, programmers may need to learn a completely new programming language every now and

then

depending on the requirement.

Moreover

, senior employees may not agree to allocate their valuable time for studying or may lack interest in updating their skills more often for every new project.

This

could prove to be a serious disadvantage for the company if the recruited candidates are not capable to learn or finish tasks quickly. In conclusion, it is considered illegal in many countries to deny employment to people because of their

age

.

Although

this

move could save citizens from unemployment, companies might face difficulties if employees fail to adapt to the growing old

age

.