Mature age workers make excellent staff and provide a number of advantages to employers, one expert has claimed.
Peter Anderson, Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) chief executive, said taking on older employees “makes good business sense”.
“They not only have maturity and skills developed over a lifetime of work and can mentor and support younger employees, but research has shown that mature age workers can have increased loyalty and lead to lower staff turnover and lower recruitment costs for the business,” he stated.
Those considering mature age apprenticeships may find his comments encouraging, with Mr Anderson urging for more training and financial incentives for enterprises to consider applications from older workers.
He argued that more needs to be done to modify workplaces and give ongoing support for both employees and management in organisations where mature age employment is on the recruitment agenda for the future.
The ACCI is running a nationwide campaign called Employ Outside the Box, which encourages companies to support the country’s ageing population.
Figures from the organisation reveal the amount of people aged over 45 in the Australian labour market is currently 31 per cent, compared with 17 per cent for under 25s.
