Young Talents 50+ Career Forum Champions Experience and Challenges Ageism
Ageism refers to age-based discrimination in the labour market, and it finds fertile ground in Bulgaria. Such discrimination rarely appears explicitly in job advertisements: employers are unlikely to state, “We are looking for a candidate aged 45 or younger.” More often, it is hidden in assumptions such as “Candidates over the age of 50 won’t fit into a young team,” “They will probably expect too high a salary,” or “They won’t be flexible enough.”
Age-based stereotypes can limit career opportunities and prevent employers from recognising valuable talent. Assumptions about digital skills, adaptability and fitting into younger teams can overshadow decades of professional experience. For Bulgaria, facing demographic ageing and workforce shortages, overlooking the potential that professional with 20+ years of experience bring has both personal and economic consequences.
Challenging age-related stereotypes is essential to ensuring that people’s skills, experience and potential are recognised throughout their working lives. When age becomes a barrier, capable professionals lose opportunities to contribute and develop, while employers miss out on valuable expertise and perspectives. An inclusive labour market encourages lifelong learning, career reinvention and knowledge sharing between generations, helping organisations build stronger teams and respond to workforce shortages. Recognising talent at every age supports equal opportunities, empowers people to pursue their ambitions and enables businesses to treat accumulated experience as an asset.
Young Talents 50+, a signatory of the Bulgarian Diversity Charter, promotes working environments where people can develop without being limited by age or stereotypes.
Young Talents 50+ develops programmes that help businesses recognise experienced professionals as an asset for sustainable growth and competitiveness. Connecting companies, institutions and experts, it works to turn accumulated knowledge and experience into practical value for organisations. Its activities include employer branding, inclusive workplace culture and leadership, employee well-being, training and knowledge sharing across generations.
Its flagship initiative is a recurring career forum dedicated to professionals aged 50 and above. Designed to bring together experienced talent, employers, institutions and experts, the forum explores career development, entrepreneurship, leadership and new professional roles. Motivational talks, practical discussions and networking encourage participants to showcase their potential, continue learning and pursue new opportunities with confidence. By highlighting successful careers after 50 and exploring how experience can complement emerging technologies, the forum challenges age-related assumptions and encourages both professionals and employers to value the knowledge and expertise gained throughout a career.
The latest edition of the career forum, “50+ The New Age of Success”, which took place on 12 October 2026 combined inspiring stories of career reinvention with discussions on employment opportunities, lifelong learning, entrepreneurship and impact of AI on workplaces, alongside opportunities for networking.
By connecting inspiration, learning and professional exchange, the forum offers a good-practice example of empowering people aged 50 and above to showcase their potential, pursue new opportunities and use their experience as an asset. It also reinforces the call for employers to assess candidates through their competence, motivation and ability to contribute – helping translate equal opportunities into more inclusive workplace practices.
Find out more about Young Talents 50+ and its work and initiatives here.
