“Older employees aren’t my problem. I like my company to
stay young, vibrating with fresh ideas.”
Well think again! Making sure older employees remain in the
workforce will affect you in more ways than you think.
Australia’s ageing population is not only a problem for
companies, but is a huge issue for the national economy. According to Deloitte Access Economics, an extra 3 %
of labour force participation among workers aged 55 and over would result in a
$33 billion boost to GDP, and if paid employment of workers aged 55 saw
a lift by 5%, it would result in an extra $48 billion in GDP.
The amount of people aged 65 and is expected to more than
double by 2054-55, according to the 2015
Intergenerational Report.
While there is greater pressure for older workers to remain
in employment, many older workers struggle to remain employed and are often
considered a burden rather than a necessity for companies. Alarmingly, only one
in three Australians over the age of 55 are currently participate in the
workforce, a research commissioned by the Australian
Human Rights Commission shows.
But as baby boomers exit the workforce, they will leave a
big gap behind them that needs to be filled. Employers need to put strategies
in place now to be prepared for the day when their vital experts are all gone.
While many companies are aware of the implications of their
ageing workforce, few know how to tackle the issue. Local governments are one
of the industries struggling the most with this. As some towns and communities
are being abandoned by their younger generation, the governments are left with
a majorly old population.
The City of
Unley in South Australia is one of the cities battling with an older
population, but who has done great work to overcome many of obstacles. Firstly they
have fought one of the biggest issues of all relating to an older workforce and
population – age discrimination. The City of Unley has been named Australia’s
first ‘age friendly city’, and has been recognised by the World Health
Organisation as an age friendly city and community.
Unley has undertaken some extensive work to get to the place
where they currently are, and their work has involved a lot of forward planning
and development. Their Active Ageing Strategy is focusing on several key areas
to make sure the community as a whole is evolving to an age friendly city,
making sure all key aspects align and support one another.
The Mayor of the City of Unley, Lachlan Clyne, is
understandably proud about their achievements, and celebrates the fact that
Unley now is a great place to grow older.
On the 30th of August to the 1st of
September, Mr Clyne will together with other government and industry leaders
examine Australia’s ageing workforce and speak of their own experiences on how
to benefit from older workers. It’s Akolade’s 2nd National Ageing Workforce
conference – Gaining strategic advantage through older workers, an initiative
to make sure Australian companies and government bodies are given the tools to
thrive in an economically difficult climate.
Mimmie
grew up in Sweden and first came to Australia as a backpacker after high
school. After travelling around the country for two years she returned to
Europe and pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism in London. But the longing
for Australia and the sun became too strong. After having worked for some time
in the media industry, Mimmie decided to make a change and swap the news for
conferences. She now gets to do what she loves the most, meeting new people and
keep learning about cultures and issues while producing conferences on current
topics.
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