Eighty-one percent of Lithuanians think that the main obstacle that stops older people from working is employers' negative attitude toward older employees.
Eleven percent of those polled in Lithuania said that they had experienced age discrimination in the workplace. This places Lithuania among the ten EU countries in which this problem is the most acute. Among other EU states, this percentage is only 6 percent.
"Most people in Lithuania think that people older than 55 years are not open to new ideas and not up to date with new technologies. Their main perceived advantages in competition with younger participants of the labor market are that are more experienced and reliable. On the other hand, the survey showed that older people in our country are not given the opportunity to improve and receive training," said Agne Ambrazeviciene, a senior project manager at TNS LT, which conducted the survey in Lithuania.
The survey was carried out in the 27 member states and five non-EU countries in September to November last year. TNS-Gallup polled 1,014 people in Lithuania in September to October.
