As people are living and working for longer, creating age-inclusive workplaces has never been more important. According to Age UK, by 2050 almost one in four people in the UK will be aged 65 or over. As our population ages, employers have an opportunity to benefit from the experience, skills and knowledge that older workers bring.
We are proud to support the Centre for Ageing Better’s Age-friendly Employer Pledge, which encourages employers to create workplaces where people can thrive throughout their working lives, regardless of age. The pledge promotes practical actions that help organisations become more inclusive and ensure that people are valued for their abilities, not their age.
An age-inclusive workplace is one where everyone feels respected, valued and supported at every stage of their career. This includes ensuring recruitment and promotion processes are free from age bias, offering flexible working where possible, investing in learning and development throughout working life, and supporting employees’ health and wellbeing.
These approaches benefit people of all ages. Flexible working, opportunities to learn new skills and fair recruitment practices help create workplaces where everyone can succeed. Teams made up of people with different experiences and perspectives also benefit from a broader range of ideas and knowledge.
The Centre for Ageing Better identifies five key areas where employers can make a difference: creating an age-friendly culture, recruiting without age bias, embracing flexible working, supporting career development at every age, and promoting health and wellbeing. Many of these changes are simple to introduce and can have a lasting impact on both employees and organisations.
As part of Later Life Ambitions , we are calling for further action to make age-inclusive employment a reality. We are urging stronger enforcement of anti-discrimination law, with 36 per cent of workers aged over 50 reporting they have experienced ageism in the workplace (CIPD, 2022). We also support government-backed skills programmes for older workers, including digital retraining, so that people have the opportunity to continue developing throughout their working lives. In addition, we are calling for incentives for employers, such as reduced National Insurance contributions, to encourage the recruitment and retention of older workers.
Everyone should have the opportunity to continue working, learning and contributing for as long as they choose. By tackling age discrimination and supporting employers to become more age-inclusive, we can help ensure that experience is recognised as an asset and that older workers remain a valued part of the UK’s workforce.
