A Brisbane woman has been struggling to find work for more than a year despite having decades of experience under her belt. Job seekers over the age of 50 are being increasingly overlooked, new research has found, despite current skills shortages.

Fiona Cootes has worked in events management for more than 20 years, has built events and led teams, but has found herself rejected from dozens of jobs. The 58-year-old mum of three told Yahoo Finance she has been looking for work since June last year, when her previous government contract role came to an end.

“I’ve only had one interview this year and as time goes on and on and on, I’m just going, am I still employable? I’m only 58 and retirement is 67,” she said.

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“I’ve got so much to offer and I’m very passionate, energetic, positive and I’m just wanting to add value to an organisation.

“And just constantly getting nothing back from any of the applications is just soul-destroying. I don’t want to feel like I’m redundant, and I’ve never felt old in my life, but now I'm feeling as though I’m old and not wanted.”

Cootes said she had all the relevant qualifications for the events roles she has applied for, but she’s been unable to get her foot in the door.

She has had four interviews for jobs over the last year, with one employer telling her she missed out on the role because another candidate was a “better culture fit”.

Cootes said she has had to dig into savings meant for her retirement and may have to work for longer than initially expected when she does find a job to make up for lost savings. She said she hadn’t planned to retire until she was 65.

“I’m starting to feel scared and frustrated to think that I might be unemployable, and it’s heartbreaking because I have so much to offer, I’ve got so much passion, I’ve got so much to contribute,” she said.

“It’s just soul-destroying, and it’s hard to stay hopeful.”

Do you have a story to share? Contact tamika.seeto@yahooinc.com

Employers sidelining older and younger workers in troubling shift

New research from the Australian Human Resources Institute and Australian Human Rights Commission found nearly one in four HR professionals classified workers aged 51 to 55 as “old”, which is well before Australia’s retirement age of 67. This marked a sharp increase from 10 per cent in 2023.

Despite 55 per cent of organisations reporting “hard-to-fill” vacancies, just 56 per cent said they were open to hiring workers aged 50 to 64 “to a large extent”.