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The Untapped Workforce: Why Employers Can’t Afford to Ignore Age Anymore
What if we told you the UK’s most overlooked workforce segment is also one of its most powerful and fastest growing?
Despite contributing over £600 billion to the economy, older workers remain stuck in fourth place on most employers’ diversity agendas. That’s the surprising finding from A Multigenerational Workforce: Mapping the Way Forward, a new report from Brave Starts and ProAge. And it’s a wake-up call.
As life expectancy rises and birth rates fall, the 50+ demographic is becoming a dominant force in the UK labour market. Yet many organisations are still operating with outdated views about when people should stop working and what they’re capable of when they stay.
This report surveyed over 220 decision-makers across C-suite and HR professionals, revealing a sharp disconnect: while employers rate age inclusion as important (7.2 out of 10), their strategic readiness to address it scores just 4.3. The workforce is changing, but businesses aren’t keeping pace.
Here’s what else the report uncovered:
- Only 13% of organisations say age is a top DEI priority over the next five years.
- The majority of employers are more concerned with retaining older staff than recruiting them.
- Just 31% offer retirement planning support—and even fewer offer benefits tailored to older workers.
- Most organisations say they’d invest £100–£250 per head to support older employees, but few have a plan for what that support should look like.
At a time when the economy is stagnating, is this something we should continue to ignore?
To download and read the report click here:
This isn’t just a diversity issue. It’s a productivity issue. A culture issue. A business resilience issue.
And most of all it’s an opportunity we can’t afford to waste.
