Unemployed people of South Africa

We are calling on [Government Body/Labor Department/Industry Leaders] to implement and enforce stricter age-blind hiring regulations. We demand an end to the "35-year-old ceiling" and a commitment to evaluating candidates based on their competencies, achievements, and potential, rather than the year they were born.

The Problem

In today’s job market, a silent but devastating barrier has emerged. While companies often speak about diversity and inclusion, many have adopted an unwritten rule: If you are over 35, your resume is ignored.

Recruitment pipelines are increasingly being funneled toward a narrow 25-to-30-year-old demographic. This practice:

Devalues Experience: It treats years of refined skill and institutional knowledge as a liability rather than an asset.

Creates Economic Instability: It leaves qualified professionals in the prime of their lives—often with families and financial responsibilities—unable to secure stable employment.

Stifles Innovation: Teams without intergenerational perspectives suffer from "groupthink" and lack the mentorship that seasoned professionals provide.

The Reality

Age is not a metric for capability. A 38-year-old is often more efficient, adaptable, and focused than they were a decade prior. By excluding those over 35, companies aren't just being discriminatory; they are being shortsighted. Experience does not have an expiry date.

Our Demands

We, the undersigned, call for the following actions:

Mandatory Age-Blind Screening: Require companies to remove birth years and graduation dates from the initial stages of the application process.

Audit Recruitment Algorithms: Investigate AI-driven hiring tools that may be programmed to automatically filter out older candidates.

Incentivize Age Diversity: Create tax or certification incentives for companies that demonstrate a balanced intergenerational workforce.

Strengthen Legal Recourse: Make it easier for job seekers to report and prove age-based discrimination during the "ghosting" or interview phase.

Why Now?

The workforce is changing, and people are working longer than ever before. We cannot allow a culture where professionals are considered "retired" by the industry before they’ve even reached the midpoint of their careers.

Sign this petition to tell employers: We are more than a number. We are our skills.

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