I represent the Canadian Federation of Independent Business and many employers. I hear similar stories every time we publish a report or say there are vacant positions. The telephone rings all day and some people, 57- year olds, for example, ask me where they can go to work, what they can do. Unfortunately, the truth is, at this time, not all employers are aware of the value of an older employee. They often ask what it is going to cost them. They say that an older employee might suffer a back injury or some other injury. The employer thinks he will have to give an older employee one or two weeks training. That is a lot of time for someone who only employs four people.
To go back to the example you gave, if I have a business and I hire someone older who has two years training and good experience, he has the necessary education but I am going to spend two weeks training him and, after that, the risk of a back injury is much greater than if he were younger. Employers are still not aware of the value of older employees. That is a reality of the labour market, and we have to educate employers, speak to them, inform them of the fact that there are so many people in their community who are of such and such an age and have such and such training or education, and they can hire them. If they do not want to hire them, that is their choice, but when businesses do not have the information, it is difficult to say they are guilty of not hiring those people.