The Australian HR Institute and the Australian Human Rights Commission surveyed 604 [human resources] HR leaders, academics, and business leaders between the 15th and 23rd of February 2021. The aim of the study was to understand organisations' strategies to recruit and retain older workers, and how [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 has impacted these strategies. Further, the study was to compare how these approaches have shifted in Australian workplaces over time, utilising data from previous surveys in 2012, 2014 and 2018. The majority of respondents reside in Victoria (27.8 per cent) and N
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The Australian HR Institute and the Australian Human Rights Commission surveyed 604 [human resources] HR leaders, academics, and business leaders between the 15th and 23rd of February 2021. The aim of the study was to understand organisations' strategies to recruit and retain older workers, and how [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 has impacted these strategies. Further, the study was to compare how these approaches have shifted in Australian workplaces over time, utilising data from previous surveys in 2012, 2014 and 2018. The majority of respondents reside in Victoria (27.8 per cent) and New South Wales (25.8 per cent), in a Metropolitan area (76 per cent), and are HR practitioners working within an organisation (67.4 per cent).
This survey was done in COVID time and it is likely that this had an impact on the answers and on organisational behaviours. Responses to the specific questions on this topic are interesting but not conclusive. Overall results indicate some small continuing gains but also a number of areas where progress has stalled or even gone backwards. The HR community in Australia is classifying 'older workers' as younger over time, even though the Australian workforce is ageing, with a higher proportion classifying an older worker as between 51-55 (16.9 per cent; an increase of 6.1 per cent since 2018). Results indicate that the number of older workers in Australian organisations is increasing, with one third of respondents saying at least half of their workforce is made up of workers above 55 years old. One in three respondents believed their organisation's recruitment practices have somewhat negatively impacted older workers. There is also an increase of 13.8 per cent since 2014 in the number of respondents who recognise that the departure of older workers causes a loss of key skills or knowledge but it's unfortunate that there has been little or no increase in the same time period in organisations to capture corporate knowledge as older workers transition out of the workplace. This disconnect could usefully be addressed.
Edited excerpts from publication.
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