Over 50 and without a job

“I thought: If you’re unemployed, you just don’t want to be”

FAB boss Martina Schröck and Michael Tschelisnig

(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

The economy is weakening, unemployment is rising - in Styria by over 13 percent. People over 50 are particularly affected. What does that do to a person when suddenly it's no longer their qualifications that count, but their age? And how do you find your feet again?

"Unfortunately, despite your interesting qualifications and experience, we are unable to consider your application any further." Michael Tschelisnig has neatly copied 36 application rejections onto four A4 pages. "And these are only the ones I received a reply to. Out of six or seven applications I send out a week, I might get one rejection," says the 57-year-old.