Not in Australia. Migration, work and age discrimination

Perceptions of older people are changing both nationally and internationally, with policy developments that emphasise the value of older workers and the extension of working life to accommodate a longer life-course. For national economies older workers produce benefits of increasing tax dollars and personal savings and reduce claims on the state through pensions. In terms of migration, older adults bring assets and other benefits generated elsewhere into the host economy, as skilled workers or as active retirees. It has also been argued that older societies may be more productive as a consequence of the contribution of older citizens. Nations that create barriers to older migration, such as is currently the case for Australia, run the risk not only of perpetuating age discrimination, but also of failing to take advantage of population change in a global context. The authors critically examine this area and raise a series of questions for future policy.