Daniela lost her job in Belgrade, after hers bank merged with another, which is a common occurrence on the banking market in Serbia. Banks consolidate, sell, change owners, and this happens on average every five to six years.
Such occurrences would not have excited Daniel much if she hadn't stayed in one of them out of work and that he has been unsuccessfully looking for a new job for three and a half years.
"Everyone says, there are so many banks in Serbia, you will find something, especially with so much experience," she told "Vreme". "As time goes on, it seems to me that it's that experience that's actually holding me back. Because I'm 53 years old with 25 years of service."
Statistics also show that Daniela's case is not an isolated one and that she is not mistaken when she thinks that it is particularly difficult for her to find a new job precisely because of her age. There are 98.000 unemployed women aged 45 to 65 on the records of the National Employment Service, which represents 51,35 percent of the total number of unemployed women.
"Many women over the age of 45 lost their jobs and faced double discrimination - on the basis of gender and age," Mima Perišić from the "Women at a Turning Point" Association explains to "Vreme".
This organization deals with solving the problem of social and economic exclusion of middle-aged and older women, and it is made up of women who themselves have gone through similar challenges.
"Social and economic changes during the transition led to massive job losses, with women disproportionately affected," says Perišić.
With a diploma and experience - they do anything and everything
The Association "Women at the Turning Point" conducted a series of studies that confirmed that women who are older than 45 more often become redundant in companies that have to lay off workers, and that when they lose their jobs, they struggle to return to work. Because simply no one will hire them.
"We also had the case of a married couple who were among the pioneers of the IT business. The wife and husband started working in the company at the same time and in the same positions, he stayed in the company, and she was fired and declared redundant when the company fell into difficulties," says Perišić.
Over 11.000 women over the age of 45 are registered with the National Employment Service as unemployed, and every third of them has a university degree.
Meanwhile, Danijela is managing as best she knows how. She worked temporarily as an assistant at a notary, but only while another employee was on long-term sick leave. Then she worked for some time, again as a substitute, in administration at a construction company. She gave up her previous job and position at the bank, where she specialized in providing advice on short-term loans. Now she applies wherever she can, and is she rarely called for interviews.
Figures also show that half of women in this age group wait as long as ten years for a new job after losing their job. During that time, Perišić adds, they are forced to do various informal jobs, which is why many of them do not have the necessary 15 years of contributions at the end of their working life to get a pension.
"Women make up as much as 80 percent of people who do not have a pension in Serbia, and that is why our association is advocating for the introduction of a social pension, as a way to reduce the poverty of the entire population," says Perišič.
A selection that doesn't like age
For people over 50 years old, finding a new job can be especially challenging when they re-enter the labor market after a long tenure in a company, Miloš Turinski from Infostud tells "Vreme".
"In addition to the requirements of the specific workplace, employers' assumptions about the candidate's age, their readiness for changes or working with new technologies can also be an obstacle. Such assumptions say nothing about the individual's abilities," Turinski explains to "Vreme".
Experience with the labor market, Infostud added, shows that previous experience can be a significant advantage in jobs that require professional knowledge, responsibility, working with people and solving practical problems.
"Therefore, the possibilities should not be reduced to a few occupations: a lot depends on the candidate's skills, the local job offer and the employer's willingness to consider his experience without prejudice," says Turinski. "It's important that candidates clearly present what they can do, including digital skills, and that employers assess specific competencies rather than using age as a short-cut for selection."
Experiences of Great Britain
Data from the Guardian also show that age discrimination is not the only field of work in Serbia. Hundreds of job applications, a grueling search and constant rejections - for some Brits, trying to get back into the job market after losing their job in their fifties or sixties has proven to be a real ordeal.
For some, these efforts prove to be in vain, so they are forced to take an early retirement against their will. Others must rely on welfare to pay the bills while continuing to look for work.
A recent study by the Center for Aging Better found that at the end of last year 918.000 people aged between 50 and State Pension age were struggling to find work - a number comparable to the number of young people not in education, employment or training - and the highest figure since 2020. That number was 2,9 million when people with long-term health problems and those who care for family members are included.
The Guardian invited over-50s to come forward and share their experiences of trying to return to work.
James, 59, who lives in the south west of England, lost his job two years ago and has since had "eight job interviews after 598 applications".
"It was horrible... and very stressful," he told the Guardian. "I keep every application in an Excel spreadsheet, none of them were successful for specific advertised positions, although thanks to them I still managed to get some other jobs. All in all, I've been barely employed, or rather - seriously underemployed, for two years now, and I can't find a way out of this situation."
James, who worked in international development, says that when applying for jobs in the early 2020s, he received an invitation for an interview "for every 15 or 20 applications", while now the situation is such that he receives "about one invitation for every 80 applications".
He is currently barely making ends meet thanks to occasional jobs editing texts for organizations in his field and writing articles for a magazine.
He states that feedback on job applications "never comes, so I have no idea why I'm failing to get a job."
He adds: "I wonder if age is an issue. Maybe companies think that a younger person will be more flexible and capable, and that they can mold them to their way of working. The only thing left is perseverance and hope."
Sally, 52, who worked in the aid sector and lives in Birmingham, said she had applied for "over 100 jobs" but "still no response".
In the past ten months, she has had 17 job interviews and is confused by the immediate rejections for positions for which she seemed like an excellent candidate.
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