A recent item on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme generated an unusually high number of responses from listeners. A man who had lost his job in the financial services sector at the age of 57 described his difficulty in trying to find work. Having submitted hundreds of job applications – mostly without response – the man had decided to retire at the age of 62. Although he is still healthy and open to offers of work, his view is that employers see him as ‘too old and too expensive.’

Large numbers of radio listeners responded, many of them echoing the man’s experience of trying to find work later in life. The programme followed this up, airing the views of an older woman who suggested that employers were not only being ageist, but also sexist when recruiting.

An ageing workforce: challenges and opportunities

The issue of older workers is important for a number of reasons. In most developed countries people are living longer, and in many cases they want to continue working long after what was once thought of as the natural age of retirement.

An ageing workforce and fewer school leavers presents problems for the world’s economies. An international survey by the Manpower Group has found that the percentage of organisations struggling to fill vacancies rose from 36% in 2014 to 75% in 2024.

Many older people are fit and healthy enough to continue working. But even though age is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act, too many employers are discriminating against older workers.

A 2018 report by the Centre for Ageing Better (CAB) found that age is the least scrutinised and most widely accepted form of discrimination in the UK. A more recent CAB survey reported that more than a third of 50-70 year-olds felt that at every stage of the recruiting process they were at a disadvantage when applying for jobs due to their age.

Challenging the misconceptions

Few employers will openly admit to discriminating against older people, but a 2018 survey by Human Resource magazine did find some evidence of ageism. The article also challenged five common misconceptions held by employers about workers over the age of fifty:

They can’t learn new things:  when it comes to learning something new, there is no age limit; every day, older workers demonstrate that they can adapt well to changes in working practices.

They are less productive: the evidence shows that older workers are just as productive as their younger colleagues.

They take more time off sick: while some surveys do suggest that some older workers are living with long-term conditions, most are managing these, and still able to work effectively.

They will retire and leave the organisation: after the Covid-19 pandemic, a greater-than-usual number of older workers took early retirement. But the cost-of-living crisis has prompted increasing numbers of people to rethink their plans. Many have now returned to the labour market, either out of financial necessity, or because they’ve realised that working is good for their wellbeing and gives them a sense of purpose.

They are overqualified: certainly, older workers have a wealth of experience and skills, but many are now looking for greater flexibility because they want to pursue personal interests, engage in voluntary work, or because of a need to balance work and care. Rather than leaving the labour market altogether, they may be interested in working part-time.

Good practice: age-friendly employment in action

More than 200 public and private sector organisations have signed up to the Centre for Ageing Better’s Age-friendly Employer Pledge, which recognises the value and importance of older workers. The signatories represent a wide range of activities, including Natural England, the National Trust for Scotland and the Greater London Authority, as well as EY, Aviva and Imperial London Hotels.

The CAB’s website features case studies showing how employers are rising to the challenge of becoming age-friendly employers, and the benefits they are experiencing. Examples include:

• Social care provider Home Instead Senior Care actively targets older workers approaching or shortly after retirement.
• Aviva appointed a Recruitment Champion for older workers internally and incentivised their older employees to act as ambassadors to help recruit other older workers.
• Barclays Bolder Apprenticeship programme targets a pool of recruits older than traditional apprentices – including those who have retired early and faced redundancy.
• Domestic and General Group’s multi-generational teams in their call centres reduced turnover and absenteeism and improved customer service by better matching the age profiles of employees with service users.

Next steps: what can employers do?

There is no shortage of advice for employers who want to reap the benefits of recruiting and retaining older people. From creating more inclusive job advertisements to talking about flexible working at interview stage, there are some key steps that can help employers become more age-friendly.

A recent issue of Harvard Business Review also made some suggestions to employers who want to adapt to ‘the new age of ageing’:

• preserve experience through phased retirement and new skills training;
• replenish experience by rehiring retirees and updating skills;
• share experience through mentoring and instructor roles;
• offer flexibility through schedules, locations and benefits; and
• leverage age diversity through multigenerational teams and diversity, equality and inclusion programmes.

Flexible working is an important way of attracting and retaining older workers. This was underlined in a recent report supported by a number of organisations, including CIPD, British Chambers of Commerce and Business in the Community, which made recommendations for government and business on enhancing flexible working provisions for people over fifty.

Final thoughts

There is no escaping the demographic realities of the new employment landscape. The myths surrounding older workers may persist, but more and more employers are discovering the benefits of a diverse workforce that includes people from a variety of age groups.

Older workers are productive and versatile, with the skills, knowledge, experience and emotional intelligence that employers and colleagues value in a variety of workplace situations.

Which is why it’s time for some new age thinking.

Photo by Ravi Patel on Unsplash

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Further reading: more on the changing workplace from The Knowledge Exchange blog

• Counting down the hours: could a shorter working week raise productivity and improve our mental health?
• An ageing workforce and growing emotional demands call for more sustainable employment
• Diversity and inclusion in the workplace: more than just demographics