Average Treasury worker 34 despite over-50s back to work push

The Chancellor is urging those over 50 to return to work, but the average age of Treasury staff is 33.6, the BBC has learned.

Just under 10% of Treasury staff are over 50, it turns out. This age group makes up 32% of the UK workforce, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Charities warn that over-50s want to work but often face age discrimination from recruiters.

The Treasury said its hiring procedures were “fair, open and merit-based”.

The BBC used a freedom of information request to see the ages of all applicants for Treasury positions over the past five years.

The results showed that far fewer over-50s apply for Treasury jobs than younger workers.

Those over 50 who were interviewed were less likely to be offered a job than younger workers.

On average over the past five years, 17% of over-50s interviewed by the Treasury have successfully received job offers. It’s 20% for people in their 30s and 22% for those under 30.

Overall, the average age of Treasury employees in December 2022 was 33.6 years.

That’s well below the average age of workers in the UK, which is 42 according to the International Labor Organisation. This is based on the latest available data from 2021.

The Treasury also had the lowest median age of any civil servant in 2022, according to an analysis by the Institute for Government.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, 56, has called for the return of the over-50s to the labor market to help address labor shortages across the economy.

In his budget last week, Mr Hunt said instead of referring to workers over 50 as “older” workers, they should instead be considered “experienced”.

He pledged £63million to schemes to encourage this group to get back to work with “return schemes” and skills boot camps.

However, charities have warned that while many over-50s want to return to work, they often face discrimination from recruiters.

“There is definitely a lot of ageism in the labor market,” said Chris Brooks, Age UK’s head of policy.

“We regularly hear from people who say they feel unfairly left out in the hiring process.”

The Treasury uses blind hiring, which means appraisers don’t see applicants’ ages. This can be “very helpful in the early stages,” Mr. Brooks said, when reviewing resumes and applications.

“But you still need to train recruiters to ensure they minimize bias when face-to-face with candidates in an interview,” he added.

Chris Walsh, chief executive of the charity Wise Age, which helps older workers find work, said the Treasury Department’s record of employing over-50s was “disappointing”.

There are “real benefits of having a mixed-age workforce,” he added. “Especially in the currently tight job market, it is harmful for employers not to hire diverse staff.”

A Treasury spokesman said: “Our recruitment procedures are fair, open and merit-based. We operate a “blind” recruitment process, which means that applicants’ personal information, including age, is not disclosed to the reviewers.

“We are committed to ensuring that our employees have diverse backgrounds, skills and expertise.”

Six tips for a job when you are over 50 – read more here

Are you over 50 and have you recently found a new job? Email us your tips haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please provide a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch with us in the following ways:

If you are reading this page and cannot see the form, you must visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment, or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and place of residence with each submission.