Aging Workforce Report

The SHRM Foundation has released a  report on the aging workforce,  The Aging Workforce: Leveraging the Talents of Mature Employees. The foreword explains the value of these employees

Mature workers—generally defined as workers over age 50 or 55—have experience and skills honed during decades of employment. Retaining talented mature workers—and recruiting new ones—is simply good business for most organizations. This report helps you to understand and prepare for these demographic changes so your organization can leverage the mature workforce as a valuable competitive advantage.

The report includes a number of helpful charts, including one illustrating the reasons why some individuals work during retirement and what spurs people to retire.  The section on recruiting and hiring older workers includes strategies and examples. The report concludes with, among other things, suggestions for businesses.

To effectively use the talent pool of older adults, HR professionals and business leaders must devise flexible strategies that address the specific needs, preferences and motivators of this population. Surveys suggest that mature workers want and need flexible work arrangements and health care benefits. They also want to feel valued and respected, and they want opportunities to continue learning and growing. Many need the income or the health care benefits associated with continued employment.

The SHRM Foundation ” is the globally recognized catalyst for shaping human resource thought leadership and research… [and] advances global human capital knowledge and practice by providing thought leadership and educational support, and sponsoring, funding and driving the adoption of cutting-edge, actionable, evidence-based research.”