“There is little evidence of UK employers taking proactive steps to engage and retain older workers according to new research conducted by Cranfield School of Management and Nottingham Business School for Acas, the employment relations expert.”

Read the Press Release here

Download the report The Employment Relations Challenges of an Ageing Workforce

A review of workers’ rights to ask for flexible work arrangements has found strong support for extending the power to all employees.

Read the Press Release here

Read the Department of Labour report here

Foreshadows a report to be released by the EEO Trust mid year. Read the article here.

Read the EEO release here

“New Zealanders aged 55-plus have increased their share of household net wealth in the past decade, mainly from investment in their own homes, and are staying in the workforce longer, according to Roy Morgan Research”

To read the NBR article click here

To read the full speech notes from Michelle Levine the CEO of Roy Morgan.
State of the Nation – New Zealand The importance of New Zealanders aged 55 plus to the economy – wealth, spending power and contribution through employment Roy Morgan Research

• employment rate of 60 to 64 year olds continues to rise, up to 40.8% in 2010 (up from 38.4% in 2009;
• the employment rate among 55-to 64-year-olds has increased since 2000 more in Germany than in most other EU countries, and among 60- to 64-year-olds, the increase in Germany was the strongest in the EU;
• if age-appropriate jobs are available, the productivity of employees between 45 and 50 years increases by as much as two percent.

Source click here

Why is the level awareness and coverage so much greater? I suspect it is due to several factors; the Federal government “get it” with high level leadership from the Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer, high profile government advisory bodies are getting to the nub of the issues and making sound recommendations, the Age Discrimination Commissioner is challenging and a major drive, with resources attached, by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. In a nutshell Australia better understands the significant risk to the economy and the social implications of an ageing population.

So to ask the obvious question.  Where is the leadership in New Zealand on this issue? I would be interested in hearing your views. Why not add your comments below.

Global Population Ageing: Peril or Promise?, contains a collection of essays written by business and political leaders and academics that canvass issues for policy-makers, business and governments in dealing with the world’s ageing population.

Writing in the foreword, Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organisation, says that it will be a major challenge for governments and societies to successfully take advantage of the benefits of older workers, and it wouldn’t “come easily”.

“We first need to change the way we think and the way we do business. We need to discard our stereotypes of what it is to be old.”

Chan referred to a recent US survey that showed that while 80% of respondents wanted to continue to work beyond retirement age, they didn’t want to continue in the same way.

“They wanted to work part time or start a new career, or launch a small business. They wanted flexibility”.  Download here  Global Population Ageing: Peril or Promise?, World Economic Forum, 2012

Research from Eurofound provides some good news: the proportion of workers in the EU27 who think they will be able to do their current job at the age of 60 has risen marginally from 57% in 2000 to 59% in 2010. Also, over the past five years, work beyond retirement has become more common in almost all Member States. Currently, around 10% of 65– 69-year-olds are employed in the EU27, compared to 8.7% five years ago.