Businesses are wasting talents of the over-50s, report warns
There will be a 7.5 million unfilled jobs by 2022 that could be filled by older workers struggling to find employment
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Millions of job vacancies could stay empty if recruiters keep ignoring older applicants, a new report has revealed.
Discounting over-50s in the recruitment process could leave the UK with a “recruitment black hole” of 7.5 million jobs by 2022.
Employers needed to tap into the one million over-50s currently looking for work, Wednesday's report by charity Business in the Community said.
The report, Missing Million, is the third of its kind and it urges businesses to tackle barriers that older applicants might encounter when trying to get back to work.
It recommends that HR departments are trained on how to spot age bias, and that companies consider widening apprenticeships to the over-50 bracket.
Extra effort should also be made to make sure employers better understand the needs of older workers. This could include bringing in paid leave for carers, in case staff needed to look after family.
IT training and refresher courses were also recommended, as well as giving people the legal right to request flexible hours straight away.
As well as getting over-50s into the workplace, the report reminded businesses not to forget about the older employees they already have.
“In particular, industries with a higher proportion of workers aged over 50 will need to adapt their practices quickly to ensure they can retain and recruit the older workers who are fundamental to their workforce,” the report said.
Between 2012 and 2022, just seven million young people will enter the workforce. With an estimated 14.5 million jobs set to open up, this leaves a gap of 7.5 million.
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