However, they’re not and it’s a good job too. Because there’s a massive gap between the number of young people coming out of education (7 million) and the jobs that need to be filled (13.5 million) in the next ten years.

So how is that gap going to be filled?

With older workers, that’s how. The over-55s are the fastest growing demographic in the UK and employers are going to have to consider how to tap into this highly experienced workforce. How to take advantage of their real world experience, their decision-making skills, their networks and their workplace confidence. How to create an environment where older workers can be retrained and re-skilled – in other words, recareered.

Worries about resistance to change, higher sickness levels, unfamiliarity with new technology are all unfounded if you look at the research. But what this demographic does deliver is a strong work ethic, loyalty and a commitment to customer service. They will also mentor and advise your younger managers.

Don’t ignore the over-50s – you’re going to need them. This is the age of the grey!

To view our presentation on Recareering in the UK, click here.

Each free-to-attend event brings together five speakers from across our industry and beyond to challenge assumptions and help seed your future thinking. In our most recent event we considered ‘Talent Communities’ – what they are, how to create them and how to get the best out of them. And what struck me was just how similar the world of consumer and product engagement is to the world of recruitment communications. In each case, the key is to define the audience and to tailor the message. Above all though, it’s not about broadcasting those messages but engaging the audience in a way that arouses their interest and invites their participation. Who would have thought that you could create highly active Facebook pages about mops and cheese but it turns out that you can?! 

Vileda UK   Castello

Another speaker invoked the spirit of Brazil 2014 and advocated what he called Dutch-style ‘Total Content’, with a 5-3-2 formation. By this, he meant recruiters should divide up their content and messaging. So, for every ten articles, five should be about what other people are saying; three should be about what you know; and two should be about your vacancies. This avoids bombarding the audience with one-directional content and instead opens up a dialogue with them. Obviously since then the Dutch have crashed out on penalties but don’t let that put you off!