Retiring at 65 is increasingly becoming an old fashioned idea.

In brief - the charity ‘Heyday’ claimed that current UK employment legislation is itself discriminatory because it does not apply to those over the age of 65 and therefore allows employers to impose a mandatory retirement age, a view that was upheld by the European Court of Justice.

This ruling aside the practicalities of a retirement age of 65 are pretty stark. According to the Learning and Skills Council, around 85,000 workers across South Yorkshire need to be replaced by 2010, assuming the current retirement age remains the same. This is at the same time as we are experiencing a reduction in school leavers with some predictions indicating a potential shortfall of around 11,000 workers by 2010.

So, what does this mean to local employers across the region?

Well, the answer is simple… in a local economy where we are all competing for the best staff in order to grow our businesses, a shortfall in supply means that this competition becomes even fiercer!

The picture isn’t all gloom and doom though. The obvious solution to this perennial business problem is to tap into the rich seam of older workers across the area. The days when employees were ‘passed their best’ by the time they reached their mid 50’s are long gone. Increasingly the ‘enlightened’ employers believe that there is no need for a mandatory retirement age. Indeed, they value the contribution of older workers due to their obvious levels of skills and experience.

Many of the major retailers have been actively seeking older workers as part of their recruitment strategy for many years – and it must be said with great levels of success. You don’t have to look far to find that many high profile organisations have been effective in reducing staff turnover and have been able to recruit well rounded and highly skilled employees from the local talent pool by actively targeting certain age groups.

So, instead of retiring your workforce you might want to think about using (and celebrating) their true value!

For more information please contact cliff Sewell: T:0113 242 1200 E: cliff.sewell@sewellm.co.uk