Diskussion in Servus TV mit Ing. Geislinger und Dr. Pongruber

Old and discarded, unemployed over 50. Welcome to today's topic. In Austria, there are currently more than 400,000 unemployed people, more than a quarter of whom are older than 50, and the number of older unemployed is rising disproportionately. This means that the chances of people over 50 finding a job again are getting worse. Why is that, and what can be done about it? We want to discuss this today with two experts in the studio. I would like to warmly welcome Adrian Geislinger, who is the head of an industrial company with about 700 employees, and Gottfried Bankgruber from the association 'Alliance for Work for Best Age', a group he founded himself due to personal concern. You are a lawyer, 57 years old – I can say that here – and have written more than 300 applications. What did you experience?

Yes, I actually experienced very little, especially few responses from the companies I wrote to. I had to realize that it's actually very difficult to even get into a conversation. At first, I thought, okay, that can happen, I'll just keep going. But then I had to ask myself: what is the reason? What personally happened to me was that my self-esteem suddenly plummeted because I thought, okay, what have you done, you're a stamp, you're nothing anymore, money, or what is wrong with you? And from this situation, I then thought, what can one do to fight against it? It should be an offensive solution. And that was to think from my past in the economic chamber, I worked there for a long time and was an official. And then it came to me: what if there was someone who really committed, a group, a ban, whatever, and that was the idea and the impetus for this association, Alliance for Work for Best Age. And we said, we want to tackle the 50-plus group, which had to be revised downwards a bit, to roughly between 40, to get them back into jobs, and to found a lobby.

And what can you do concretely now?

We try to act on three levels. That means, the one level is that we try to influence politics, interest politics, with the legislature, with interest associations, with the employer side, with authorities, with chambers, to speak and create a positive sentiment for older employees. Secondly, we also try to do something concrete with specific services and services. That means, we try with consulting projects for companies but also for the affected individuals themselves, to analyze weaknesses and get them out of the swamp, out of this emotionally difficult situation. And there we have started various actions: one, two shorten the so-called job fairs. We have formed informers like the so-called speed datings as it also takes place in the private sector, because it's simply about establishing a personal first contact, because through personal emotional access much more is possible than through an anonymous application.

Are there concrete results?

Look, we had at the last fair over 70 interested parties who came, there were six companies among them. We have learned now that eight or nine concrete business contacts have already been established, and we hope that also longer-term employment relationships will emerge.

Your company employs about 700 employees worldwide at five locations. How many of them are older employees? What is the mix with you? How do you see the problem?

Now, the Social Ministry is making available this year for the employment promotion of over 50-year-olds under 20 million euros, and next year it should be 250 million. If an unemployed person over 50 is engaged, up to half of the wages and additional costs are replaced, and for some months even the entire costs. Is that enough? Is that at all the right way from your perspective?

Mr. Bankgruber, you know, as said, from personal concern, now also through the association, what do you think of these subsidies? Are they the real thing, do they really help?

You wouldn't believe how quickly one gets used to more money, and I also think this is an enticement. Of course, it's a positive aspect and a positive sign, but they must also imagine that if as an employee who is affected sees that as a premium for the company to still keep older employees and then you get something on top, but so far it has also been something negative stigmatized, which is naturally also a difficult situation for the affected. There is an action that is good, that at least can help, but for me, it also requires more imagination, always finding new ways. Why couldn't, for example, advertisers come up with the idea to deal with the labor market like with war, but also other things that are new paths today and must be tried with much courage, and if it goes well, it helps; if it doesn't go well, it must also stop again. This courage is also part of it.

From politics and decision-makers, we've already mentioned the fact that many companies prefer younger workers because they are cheaper and more flexible. Doesn't this also have a lot to do with this wage curve over a working life? The problem?

What are actually achievements that, in reality, are counterproductive for the older affected when they are out?

Mr. Geislinger, also from your perspective, we come to the end, what would be your wish to make politics come true?

Thank you very much, gentlemen, for coming. I thank you for sitting in front of this camera. Now, stay tuned, in a few minutes it continues with Servus Krone at 18:30, with Relative Unique and Claudia Mack. Sony will guide you through the show. Thanks for the nice evening.