UK employers appear less inclined to hire older workers, and that is raising concerns in several quarters. The Chartered Management Institute released a survey that found only 42% of UK managers were open “to a large extent” to hiring people between the ages of 50 and 64, the BBC reported. Only 18% were open to a large extent to hiring those 65 and older.

The findings of the CMI survey were disappointing, said Shazia Ejaz, director of campaigns at the UK’s Recruitment and Employment Confederation.

“Last week Chancellor Jeremy Hunt was right to say that Britain needs older workers to return to the workforce,” Ejaz said. “The truth for the businesses surveyed is that they and the economy cannot afford to lose the career experience, skill set and seasoned judgement of older workers in such a tight labour market.”

The survey results show that government and businesses need to work harder to ensure older workers are being encouraged to stay in the labour market, she said. And she added that recruiters have the skills to help older workers access work or transition into new careers as those older than 50 are, in general, less likely to seek work through Job Centre Plus.

“There are lots of vacancies out there for older workers to be doing so they should not get too discouraged by these findings,” Ejaz said.