Help for employers looking to recruit the Over 50s workforce in 2024

December 22, 2023

For many, the start of a new year is traditionally seen as a time to evaluate their career, often leading to a new job search or taking steps to address the work/life balance. But the ‘new year, new job’ ethos is not restricted to graduates or millennials.

Record numbers of Over 50’s are in part-time work, according to recent data from the Office for National Statistics, with one quarter of workers in their Fifties (25 per cent) working part-time.

There is also evidence that one in 10 employers surveyed earlier this year have introduced support for retaining employers aged 50 and over.

According to figures from Aviva, this type of support could include apprenticeship programmes, mid-life MOTs, job-sharing, and opportunities for ‘part-tirement’ – semi or partial retirement. Over three-quarters (76%) of employers think it is important to retain employees aged over 50, with almost a third (32%) of those saying it is very important.

Peterborough-based Anne Corder Recruitment (ACR) recognises the growing trend for people to stay in the workplace longer – as well as from employers keen to retain experienced, long serving and talented staff.

Managing director Nel Woolcott said: “The workplace is most definitely a different place than it was even just 10 years ago, the trend for people to work later into life or even looking for a career change into their Fifties, as we have seen from various reports, is set to continue. For employers this presents a wealth of benefits; including attracting people with an already sound work ethic, those who have the confidence and experience to take on any task and succeed.

“There is much to be gained mutually for employer and employee. Many bosses are keen to retain and reward staff of a high calibre, regardless of age – and the member of staff can in turn reap the benefits of incentives like flexible working and performance related rewards.”

Locally, employers themselves have been looking to ACR to help curb the financial and time-consuming challenges of recruiting.

Nel added: “We’re hearing more and more from our clients how difficult it is to hire, that time to hire is expanding, and cost to hire is increasing, and the impact on SME’s is extreme.  And it’s not just time and money that are the issues; the strain and stress on team members covering the extra work is high, and the impact it might have on productivity and your customer service is undoubtedly negative.

“The cost of having the wrong person in a role in terms of hard cash is massive, but there are also huge hidden costs that can impact a business even more. It’s our aim to support local SMEs in their recruitment with practical advice and solutions, and we’ve developed ACR ConnectWork to do just that. This brand-new way of working focuses on successful recruitment and creating the opportunity for successful retention.”

Visit the website for more information about Connect Work.