Productive Ageing: Leveraging the value of an age-diverse workforce for SMEs

Institute for active policy, Global Access Partners (GAP), in association with the NSW Department of Family and Community Services and the GAP Standing Committee on Productive Ageing, are convening a strategic roundtable for small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) on 6 June, 2019.

The event will explore practical barriers and enablers for mature-age workforce participation and promote existing resources available to Australian businesses and individuals to support employment of people 50 years of age and over.

Evidence shows that hiring and retaining mature-age workers can cut employer costs due to lower rates of absenteeism, make business more productive, fill existing skill or knowledge gaps, and contribute to innovation and improvements in business processes. A company which welcomes mature-aged workers is seen as a more attractive employer to a growing proportion of the Australian workforce.

The GAP Roundtable on Productive Ageing will bring together a select group of senior representatives from government and the SME sector for a three-hour working session facilitated under the Chatham House rule of non-attribution. The objective is to gain insight from business practitioners on common factors which facilitate or hinder mature-age employment, explore best-practice approaches, pull together ideas to tackle challenges, and initiate projects to take forward.

Topics for discussion will include:

• Breaking down barriers to mature-age employment
• Increasing awareness of government subsidies and support measures for SMEs to hire and retain workers 50 years of age and over
• Supporting businesses with mature-age recruitment and skill shortages
• Identifying opportunities to roll out pilot programmes with SMEs
• Establishing a network of ‘early adopters’ to work on appropriateimplementation strategies