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Ageing population data – REC highlights implications for recruiters

Released on 4 January 2011

One of the big news stories over the Christmas period focused on Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) figures on the UK's ageing population. The REC has responded by underlining the implications for the recruitment industry and for the UK jobs market as a whole.

The headline figure – based on Office of National Statistics (ONS) projections - was that approximately one-sixth of people currently alive in Britain will live beyond 100 years. The strain on pension funds and the health service have increased calls for people to retire later.

“Changing demographics will have a profound impact on our society and labour market.  The ageing population is one of the external factors that recruiters need to take into account when planning for the future. One of the specific implications picked up in recent media reports is that people will need to work longer  - especially in light of the impact of the challenging economic climate on pension funds and our national propensity for building up debt rather than saving for the future .

Commenting on the DWP data and on the implications for recruiters, Sarah Gordon, Associate Director of Sammons Group and Chair of the REC’s Diversity and Inclusion Forum says:

"Recruitment agencies will have a pivotal role to play by providing opportunities for temporary and contract work so that older workers can  choose to continue earning and contributing  in a flexible way that suits their changing work/life balance, rather than being tied down to a full-time job . Recruiters also have an ongoing role to play in educating clients to ensure that any discrimination on the grounds of age is eradicated once and for all."

As part of our ongoing work on diversity and inclusion issues, the revised REC/JCP Diversity Pledge will be formally launched later this month. This will form part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the REC and Jobcentre Plus.