Post
by gordon » Tue Dec 11, 2007 11:29 pm
Giving age points isn't age discrimination; it's a reflection of the fact that salary differentials are determined in large part by years of experience (a type of discrimination that is lawful). Picture two applicants, one 33yo and another 27yo, with the same education. If the elder earned £40k (45pts) based on his experience, the younger would have to earn only £26k (25 pts) along with his 20 age points to get to the same 45-pt total. So even in that most extreme example, the differential in performance would not be 50%.
If they didn't give age points, the tendency would be toward older workers, who have more years of experience (with commensurate salary) but who are, as a result, more established and therefore less likely to migrate (and more likely to migrate with dependants when they do elect to migrate). The workforce may also experience more difficulty absorbing overseas workers at upper levels, when those workers have little or no UK experience. Things to consider when trying to attract skilled personnel.
Giving age points to younger workers also acknowledges that such workers may have comparable long-term potential to contribute as highly skilled migrants, even if this potential has not yet been fully indicated in their past earnings. This becomes even more relevant when one considers that the first decade after completion of the first degree is the one in which individuals, on average, experience the largest year-on-year earnings growth --- as they settle into a career and move up the steep portion of their learning curve.
AG
