Australia's Shrinking Workforce

I was always told to respect my elders… however it seems as though business may not have the same philosophy? More and more I’m hearing anecdotes suggesting that older workers are often being let go from organisations and/or not being employed in favour for those much younger.

Notwithstanding, there seems to be a chorus of business luminaries that are espousing the virtues of employing and/or retaining those so-called mature aged workers…

Peter Hendy CEO of Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry is quoted as saying “mature aged workers are critical to Australia’s economic success. Gaining the full benefit of this valuable resource will require innovative approaches by business community & Government sectors”

Obviously this is a matter of significance as the Federal Minister for Employment Participation and Childcare, the Hon Kate Ellis MP has urged employers to recruit and retain mature age workers…suffice to say that it’s important for “all workers to benefit from the skills and experiences gained by older workers”.

When conducting career transition programs, invariably I hear from our more experienced workers that they are worried about their age being an impediment to them gaining employment… the Human Rights Commission too has concerns, so much so its published the ‘Myths and Facts around Older Workers:-

Myth 1; Mature Age workers will cost the business more for their experience,

Myth 2; Mature Age workers may be prone to health problems,

Myth 3; There is no long term benefit to training and developing Mature Age workers,

Myth 4; Younger workers are better performers than Mature Age workers,

Myth 5; Mature Age workers won’t be able to adapt to changes and new technology.

Interestingly, it’s not money that is the main motivator for job satisfaction for mature age workers. So those businesses that are aware of this and can tailor the work environment accordingly will be able to attract and retain a better calibre of employee, which of course means a better return on their investment (i.e. recruitment & training).

Of course this will mean a change in attitude towards engaging and keeping good mature age workers. So unless organisations recognise that older workers will make up an important and essential part of any successful workforce, they may find themselves unable to meet business demands.

So it seems that businesses shouldn’t be too quick to dispense of our mature age workers, particularly as they still have much to offer…

Perhaps the following quote from Heather Ridout – CEO Australian Industry Group sums things up appropriately… “Economic growth goes hand in hand with workforce growth… with fewer young people entering the job market we have to manage smarter… a lot smarter”.