4.28.2009

Age discrimination in Portugal's employment market

Age discrimination is a crime punished by European law. Nonetheless, many employers and employment agencies consider age limits in their jobs offers.
For example, look at this one (it is in Portuguese):

Perfil do candidato: - Desportista praticante;
-Disponibilidade geográfica no território português, e para viajar a nível internacional;
- Inglês, Francês falado e escrito (como factor preferencial);
- Formação técnica superior em engenharia civil ou de manutenção;
- Bom conhecimento dos códigos de construção e dos regulamentos de segurança contra incêndio;
- Conhecimento, ou experiência, do código de seguros;
- 25-30 Anos (years);
- Autónomo, com vontade de trabalhar em equipa;
- Enérgico, sorridente e dinâmico;
- Capacidade de liderança e iniciativa;
- Forte espírito de persistência;
- Rigoroso e organizado e integro;
- Pessoa de terreno;


Isn't this disrespectful? What's the purpose of a job offer? Isn't it to find the best applicant for the vacancy? Couldn't he or she be 24 or 32, or 45?
Worst, why does this happens? Where's the supervision? Where are the moral grounds? Where is respect?

You could say that they could make this infringement even implicitly, when doing the curriculum triage. Yes, and that happens. But we have to make small and ethical steps and make people accountable for their actions.

There is an obscure world of prejudice and incompetency in recruitment and selection.
No one cares...
And no one gives a shit...

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