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Mexicans over 35 are denied job opportunities

Deputies review initiative to penalize companies for age discrimination

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17/08/2017 |14:00Suzzete Alcántara |
Redacción El Universal
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According to the Association against Employment and Workplace Discrimination by Age or Gender in Mexico, 55% of private and Government companies post as a requirement in their job offers that applicants be a maximum age of 35 . Meanwhile, only 10% consider applicants with a maximum age between 48 and 50.

For this reason, the Justice Commission of the Chamber of Deputies is reviewing an initiative to amend the Federal Criminal Code, to establish a sentence of one to three years in prison, or a compensation from 150 to 300 days in community work, and a fine of up to 200 days of minimum wage, to the companies restricting job openings based, mainly, on age.

The initiative, launched by Deputy Jonadab Martínez García from the Citizen's Movement Party (MC) argues that Mexico has a high level of discrimination in job postings.

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“According to data from the National Institute of Geography and Statistics (INEGI), only 12 million of people in Mexico have an undergraduate degree, and less than 1 million have studied a graduate program,” he said.

The legislator mentioned a report prepared by the National Council to Prevent Discrimination (CONAPRED), which showed that 90% of job openings posted exclude individuals over 35 years, and 10% offer low-paying jobs which don't consider the academic background of the applicant.

This situation, he said, has become worse for individuals over 60, considering 81.6% of those who currently have a job aren't offered employee benefits.

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