December 6 2006 - A new report from Taleo Research and The Age and Employment Network (TAEN), urges UK companies to address the looming skills shortage and capitalize on the ageing workforce by changing their approach to recruitment.
Tapping into the older worker talent pool suggests that despite demographic trends and recently introduced age regulations, many UK organizations still have significant biases and misconceptions about recruiting older workers. The authors argue that practical recruitment strategies that take advantage of the growing talent pool of older workers will be increasingly relevant to maintaining a competitive workforce. Skills- based recruiting and e-recruitment technology promote wide access to job roles, and implement a compliant skills-based recruiting process.
Specific advice from TAEN and Taleo Research includes:
- Consider where you are advertising your job opportunities
- Word your job opportunities carefully
- Capture candidate data on compliant, electronic application forms
- Drive the selection process based on skills
- Consider re-skilling or up-skilling new or existing employees
Alice Snell, vice president, Taleo Research said:
"The message is loud and clear for organizations that are looking ahead and developing their recruitment strategies. Retaining the traditional preference for recruiting only from younger age groups will lead to a weaker workforce than competitors who tap into the older worker talent pool. Organizations can gain a significant advantage from adopting a skills-based approach to recruiting that creates a level playing field for older workers. E-recruitment technology is a powerful tool in implementing this approach because solutions such as Taleo's have compliant skills-based matching of candidates to roles as a fundamental design principle. "
Patrick Grattan, chief executive of TAEN added:
"The recruitment profession has the opportunity to play a crucial role in response to an ageing work force. At present too much of the focus is on age. It should be on skills and experience regardless of age. Internet-based recruitment can spotlight competencies required for the job, whereas a classic CV, with its chronological recital of past job history, encourages assumptions about age and working life. "Tapping into the older worker talent pool" is a valuable guide for businesses looking to change their recruitment practices to welcome older workers."
Managing Diversity
