Negative workplace age stereotypes may pose a “potential obstacle” for the recruitment of older workers, the Finnish Centre of Pensions (ETK) has found.

Its latest research on older workers, who could help ease the sustainability burdens facing the pension system, found that employers who face difficulties recruiting workers are not necessarily more willing than other employers to hire people over the age of 55.

“Although the majority of employers are positive towards hiring older workers, negative workplace age stereotypes may pose a potential obstacle for some employers to make the best use of an older workforce,” ETK senior researcher Aart-Jan Riekhoff, said.

According to the study, however, employers that experience recruitment problems are more willing than other employers to employ retired former workers. This may be because the retired workers are familiar to the employer, they have the required skills and often want to work part-time or sporadically.

ETK noted that people close to or just past their retirement age are often willing and able to work, but for some reason they cannot find work.

“A shortage of qualified labour and the ageing population challenge not only impacts the labour markets but also the long-term sustainability of pension systems. Solutions to these challenges are sought in, for example, labour immigration. But persons close to their retirement age are an available labour force that employers don’t utilise enough,” Riekhoff explained.

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