Ageism in the frontline: The hidden bias holding back great talent

Despite growing awareness of diversity and inclusion, age bias remains one of the least discussed — yet most pervasive — forms of discrimination in hiring.

In Australia, research by the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) and the Australian HR Institute (AHRI) reveals that 56% of HR professionals are open to recruiting those aged 50–64. However, around 18% claim they wouldn’t hire this age group at all. Nearly one in five organisations admit their recruitment practices negatively affect older workers.

Meanwhile, National Seniors Australia reports that many older Australians feel unfairly excluded from jobs — even amid a national skills shortage.

Ageism isn’t just unfair — it’s costly. Companies that exclude workers based on age lose valuable expertise, institutional knowledge, and diversity of perspective. And in a frontline labour market often affected by skills shortages, age bias often results in missed opportunities.

The overlooked opportunity in frontline workplaces

Frontline industries such as Retail and Hospitality are particularly well-placed to benefit from engaging senior workers. These sectors thrive on flexibility — a value that aligns perfectly with the needs of mature-age employees who may be semi-retired or seeking part-time roles.

By offering flexible scheduling, predictable rosters, and shift-swapping options, businesses can tap into a reliable, skilled, and customer-focused workforce segment. Older employees often bring patience, professionalism, and a strong service ethic to customer-facing roles — qualities that can lift both customer satisfaction and workplace morale.

Before diving in, it's important to discern what ageism is — and how it arises in the first place.

What is ageism, and where does it start?

Ageism refers to stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination directed at individuals or groups based on their age. In the workplace, it often manifests as assumptions that older workers are less capable, adaptable, or innovative — attitudes that can influence recruitment, promotion, and training opportunities.

The problem often begins with perception. Job descriptions frequently use coded language that may signal a preference for younger workers.

Some recruiters unconsciously screen out CVs that reveal age, such as longer work histories or older graduation dates. Technology can amplify this problem. Some automated applicant-tracking systems (ATS) and AI-driven screening tools often rely on data that reflect past hiring patterns, unintentionally reinforcing bias.

For example, if younger candidates have historically been hired more often, algorithms may “learn” to prioritise them — systematically excluding older applicants before a human ever sees their application.

Even during interviews, age bias can surface in subtle ways: assumptions that older candidates won’t adapt to new technologies, won’t fit a youthful culture, won’t be fit enough to cope with the rigors of the more physical work seen in many frontline roles, or might retire soon. These assumptions ignore the reality that older employees are often quick learners, loyal contributors, and strong mentors.

The impact of age bias

Ageism not only erodes the individual’s confidence — it can also weaken organisational performance.

A U.S. study of 40,000 job applications found that candidates aged 64–66 had callback rates up to 47% lower than applicants aged 29–31. In Australia, 24% of HR professionals now consider workers aged 51–55 to be “older,” up from just 10% two years ago.

By excluding experienced candidates, organisations deepen skills shortages, increase turnover (as younger hires often have shorter tenures), and create cultures that prize image over impact. Over time, innovation, morale, and trust all suffer.

Reducing ageism in the recruitment process

Addressing ageism requires both cultural and structural change. It’s not enough to have inclusive intentions — organisations need consistent systems, behaviours, and tools that make hiring fair by design.

1. Rethink job design and language

As stated above, age bias often starts with how roles are described. Job ads that use terms like “energetic,” “digital native,” or “recent graduate” subtly discourage older applicants, who feel they lack the skills to keep pace with certain systems and tools.

Instead, focus on outcomes and capabilities that truly matter. Write descriptions that invite applications from people with varied experiences — for example, “highly experienced in customer-service” or “skilled in adopting POS systems”.

2. Use inclusive hiring technology

Applicant-tracking systems can be powerful equalisers when configured correctly. Set them up to evaluate skills and experience rather than proxies for age such as graduation dates or lengthy work histories. Regularly audit algorithms to ensure balanced shortlists, and use analytics to identify patterns that might indicate bias.

3. Train recruiters and hiring managers

Even the best processes can fail if people don’t recognise their own assumptions and pre-conceived notions. Include age as a focus in unconscious bias training, and encourage hiring teams to see the value in career maturity, adaptability, and mentoring potential. Equip interviewers to ask structured, evidence-based questions rather than relying on “gut feel” about who might “fit in”.

4. Celebrate multi-generational workplaces

Highlight success stories that show the value of diverse teams. Pair experienced employees with younger ones through mentoring programs and cross-generational projects. Encourage leaders to share examples of how combining perspectives across ages has sparked creativity or improved problem-solving. Normalising collaboration across generations embeds inclusion into culture, not just policy.

5. Focus on continuous learning and flexibility

One of the most persistent myths about older workers is that they struggle to learn new skills or adapt to technology. Counter that narrative by providing accessible learning pathways for everyone, regardless of age. Offer flexible schedules, hybrid roles, and training opportunities that allow employees to keep building both digital and interpersonal capabilities. When learning and flexibility are core to culture, age becomes irrelevant.

How Humanforce helps prevent age bias

The Humanforce Talent, HR, and Workforce Management (WFM) solutions are designed to build fairness, transparency, and inclusion into every stage of hiring and workforce planning.

Humanforce Talent allows candidates to create profiles that highlight skills, experience, and preferences, rather than just age or employment dates. These detailed profiles give managers both a clearer context and a skill-based view of each applicant, thereby reducing the chances of unconscious bias creeping in.

AI-driven skills matching connects candidates to roles based on ability rather than demographics. The Talent Community feature allows organisations to re-engage past applicants and experienced workers, building deeper and more diverse communities.

In addition, automated screening tools, structured workflows, and configurable scoring help to ensure consistent, data-informed hiring decisions.

Across our HR and WFM platforms, Humanforce supports inclusion through:

• Workforce analytics that highlight DEI metrics such as age balance and representation at all levels of the business

• Flexible rostering and shift offer/shift bidding features to enable workers to select shifts that suit different life stages and commitments

• Insightful reporting to track trends and uncover potential bias

Together, these capabilities empower organisations to build genuinely age-diverse teams that appreciate the experience and contribution of more senior workers.

Beyond bias: Building a future for every generation

Inclusion isn’t just about who gets hired. It’s about acknowledging that every generation brings unique benefits that can be absorbed and implemented by the wider team.

Senior workers offer experience, perspective, and steady leadership that enhance team performance. They also continue to show remarkable adaptability, learning new technologies with the help of their coworkers.

Humanforce reinforces this intergenerational collaboration. By giving hiring teams a transparent view of skills, experience, and potential, its technology supports fair, inclusive, and forward-thinking recruitment — creating workplaces where everyone can contribute fully, regardless of age.

About Humanforce 

Humanforce is the all-in-one platform for frontline and flexible workforces, offering a truly employee centred, intelligent and compliant human capital management (HCM) suite – without compromise. Founded in 2002, Humanforce has a 2300+ customer base and over half a million users worldwide. Today, we have offices across Australia, New Zealand, the US, and the UK. 

Our vision is to make work easier and life better by focusing on the needs and fulfilment of frontline workers, and the efficiency and optimisation of businesses. 

To learn more about how Humanforce’s solution can help automate people processes in your business, please contact us.