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Companies ‘must review their attitude to older workers’
Employers will have to review the way they deal with older workers in view of an ageing population and new rules on age discrimination. The comments come after ACAS issued guidance on employing older workers.
The changes will mean companies need to focus on key stages in the employment relationship such as recruitment, promotion, training, redundancy and retirement. The UK population is aging. There are currently 20 million people aged 50 and over in the UK and by 2030 this figure is expected to reach 27 million, an increase of 37 per cent. In addition life expectancy will be much greater and with shortfalls in pension provision employees are retiring at a later age.
In its guidance, ACAS makes the point that the law will not require employers to discriminate in favour of older workers. However, by acting fairly towards all workers regardless of age, employers can help to tackle the issue of skill shortages as an ageing population means there will not be a “conveyor belt of younger workers to replace older workers”. The guidance comes as employers prepare for the introduction of age discrimination rules in October 2006.
Employers will have to focus on their human resource planning so as to enable them to manage their ageing work force more effectively. It will be necessary for employers to review the way in which they deal with their older workers. In addition they will have to focus on key issues. Retirement is obviously an important consideration for mature staff. However employers also need to look at areas like recruitment, training, promotion and redundancy and ensure that selection procedures do not discriminate against individuals on grounds of their age.
