Don’t miss out on the most experienced talent: attracting and retaining older workers

Skills shortages continue to hamper the world of work, with an eye-watering 94% of employers having faced these challenges over the past six months according to our 2025 Employment Trends – Spring Update survey. This highlights that employers need to be shaking up their talent attraction and retention tactics or risk their skills gaps widening even further.

Recently, the value that more experienced professionals can bring to the workforce has been brought into the spotlight; in fact, encouraging older professionals to remain in work for longer has been deemed an ‘economic necessity’. Older employees (generally defined as those aged 50+) can be a valuable source of top talent, as they likely have a breadth of experience, knowledge and skills under their belts after spending several decades in the workforce.

An ever-growing demographic

The Earth’s population is soaring – having increased from 7 to 8 billion people since 2010 – and people are living longer, meaning the number of people aged 50+ is constantly rising. This demographic is fast expanding; in the last 40 years, the number of people aged 50+ has risen by more than 6.8 million, amounting to a 47% increase.

Older workers are an ever-expanding pool of under-utilised talent that employers should be actively seeking out. In reality, however, some organisations are missing out on this vast supply of experienced workers – shockingly, more than one-fifth (21%) of employers admit they don’t hire older workers and a further 24% are unsure if they do or not.

Ageism is commonplace

The overwhelming majority (88%) of older workers believe it’s important for organisations to take action to prevent ageism in their recruitment processes, but only just over half (52%) of employers actually do so. For the 48% that do not, there could be consequences. 57% of over 50s would be less likely to accept a job offer if an organisation didn’t take steps to mitigate ageism, while 27% would consider withdrawing their job application entirely. Over one-fifth (21%) would consider raising concerns on an organisation’s review site, potentially damaging their reputation.

Ageism is evidently an all too common occurrence; almost half of over 50s (49%) believe their age has impacted their chance of a job offer. It’s vital that all employers are taking action to prevent this, or else risk struggles with staff attraction and reputational repercussions.

Attracting the older demographic

To encourage job applications from older workers, employers should be adapting their offering to be more appealing to this demographic – flexible working options are one way of doing so. While some older workers may prefer to work in the office, having the flexibility to choose their office days could be a key selling point for others, so be sure to include this on your job adverts and then reinforce your flexibility throughout the interview process.

Providing training and support for AI tools can also help older workers stay relevant and productive in the modern workplace, with a mere 9% of employers in our 2025 Employment Trends – Spring Update survey saying their workforce doesn’t have access to all the right skills to enable them to make the best use of this technology. With nearly 9 in ten professionals over the age of 50 (88%) saying their employer has not offered such training, this could be a quick win to improve your Employee Value Proposition (EVP) to older job applicants while also improving the technological confidence of your existing workers.

Retention tactics for older workers

Currently, a lack of future opportunities is the most cited reason for older workers who are looking to leave their current role, with 29% selecting this as a factor in our survey. Addressing a lack of progression opportunities can help retain older workers who are looking for meaningful career advancement. Ensuring salaries are in line with the market rate can also help you keep hold of this demographic, with a dissatisfaction with their salary and benefits package being the second most common reason why the over 50s are looking to jump ship, cited by 26%.

Key takeaways for employers:

• Promote flexible working options: highlight flexibility in job adverts and interviews
• Offer training for AI tools: improve technological confidence and skills
• Ensure competitive salaries: align with market rates to attract and retain talent
• Provide clear paths for career progression: address the lack of future opportunities

By embracing the wealth of experience that older workers bring, employers can not only bridge their skills gaps but also foster a diverse and inclusive workplace. It's time to recognise the untapped potential of this demographic and take proactive steps to attract and retain the most experienced talent.

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