Working Together: Improving Employment Opportunities for Older Workers in Wales

Working Together: Improving Employment Opportunities for Older Workers in Wales

The Commissioner has published a paper on the barriers many older people face while trying to stay in or access employment, highlighting the kinds of action needed to tackle ageism in the workplace and maximise opportunities for work.

Older people face significant barriers and challenges relating to remaining in or returning to employment, with adults aged over 50 being a key group affected by rising economic inactivity.

With an ageing population in Wales, the need to enable older people who wish to stay in work to do so is particularly important. By 2025, 1 in 3 Welsh workers will be over the age of 50 and research by the Wales TUC has found that a third of over-50s expect to retire later than they envisioned when they were 40.

This paper sets out the actions that can be taken to encourage and support older people to stay in or return to work, as well to tackle the ageism and age discrimination many older people face in the workplace.