What’s in a name? Categorising ‘disadvantaged older workers’

Abstract

The institutionalised categorisation of adults who are over 55 years of age, unemployed and low-skilled as ‘older’ and ‘disadvantaged’ may adversely affect their employment prospects and their self-esteem. This paper reports on the findings of a study that explored the experiences of a small group of such adults; in particular, the barriers to their participation in training and jobseeking activities. The research comprised a qualitative, phenomenological approach, and used a series of semi-structured interviews to gain an insight into their reactions to such categorisation. The findings could not identify a direct link between institutionalised categorisation and self-categorisation, but indicated that those labels did not enhance their self-esteem nor increase their enthusiasm for participating in activities to increase their employability. These findings indicate for policymakers a disjunction between the possibly detrimental consequences of the institutionalised categorisation of this cohort and the need to increase their participation in the labour market.