Regular readers of our letters page will be familiar with the plight of the many experienced older IT experts struggling to find employment in the industry. Ageism is perhaps the most common thread of all the emails and correspondence we receive.
Computing -backed research published this week by the University of Cambridge has good news and bad news for those affected.
On the plus side, the number of over-45s in the IT industry is growing. But the downside is that IT employers have yet to fully realise the demographic time-bomb they have ticking away in their recruitment policies.
Across the UK, the workforce is ageing and soon the proportion of under 35s in all areas of employment will be at a record low. As fewer young people enter the industry - and 'A' Level entrants for computer studies are at an all-time low - we cannot afford to allow people with vast experience of IT to be discarded.
The research also suggests the number of women in UK IT has almost halved in the past four years, and that the adoption of flexible working practices is way behind other sectors - the latter a particular irony considering the number of organisations trying implement mobile systems.
Clearly many IT employers have a major flaw in their recruitment and employment practices, and we will be closely following the next phases of the Cambridge research to help find the solutions.
If IT wants to become a part of everyday society - as opposed to a geeky offshoot - and enjoy the economic benefits of the ubiquity that will result, then it needs to reflect society. We cannot continue with employment practices that unwittingly discriminate against sections of the workforce. More flexible approaches are needed to make IT a better, more motivated, more fulfilling place to work that attracts the very best and brightest that society has to offer.
What do you think? Email feedback@computing.co.uk
