Age discrimination in the accountancy profession is rife and companies need to scrutinise their HR policies to ensure fair access to jobs and career progression, according to a survey by online job board and industry resource CareersinAudit.com.
Over half (57%) of the more than 2,000 accountants polled by the website maintained that ageism is alive and kicking in the industry. Nearly half (48%) stated that people in the industry find it harder to get a new job or promoted once they reach the age of 40.
Half of the respondents were themselves over 40 and more than a third of this demographic (37%) believed they had missed out on developing their career (either an external job or internal promotion) because they had passed this age threshold. Nearly half of this group (44%) admitted that they were not given a reason from the company or line manager as to why they had been unsuccessful getting the new position. Whilst 20% admitted that it was because someone had a better skill set, a further 9% said they did not fit the company culture.
CareersinAudit.com says the research suggests part of the problem is that bosses prefer to recruit younger professionals because their salary expectations are not as high and are prepared to put in longer hours, particularly in the tough economic climate. Some respondents maintained that companies are looking to 'mould' their employees to their requirements and there is a perception that 'older' accountants may not be willing to change the way they work.
Others believe that there is a perception amongst partners and senior management of companies that accountants who are aged 40+ are not up to date on technology advancements, compared to the more 'technology-savvy' twenty and thirty something generation, or have other necessary skills for modern day accountancy.
Simon Wright, operations director at CareersinAudit.com, said: 'Whilst the industry needs to continually embrace new and recent graduates to the fold and train them up, accountants who have many more years of valuable experience should not be put out to pasture either. HR departments should be scrutinising their equality policies and ensuring that all applicants, regardless of age, are given a detailed breakdown of why they were unsuccessful. Transparency is crucial.'
