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Older Workers Resource Hub

Australians today are living longer and healthier lives. Australians are also working longer and it is now commonplace to see four or five generations working side by side.  Australian workplaces are reporting they have an older workforce than ever before, with almost 20% stating that more than half their workforce is over 50 years old.* 

However, recent research indicates that age discrimination continues to be an issue in many Australian workplaces. The age at which workers are considered ‘older’ is becoming progressively younger, and about a quarter of Australian businesses say they are reluctant to hire older workers.** 

Employers have a responsibility to prevent age discrimination in the workplace, but beyond that, managing multigenerational teams and ageism is critical to ensuring a productive and high-performing workforce. 

Retaining older workers and tapping into the benefits of a multigenerational workforce brings many advantages for businesses and organisations, including the retention of organisational knowledge, diversity of skills and ideas, and enhanced productivity and innovation.  

These training modules and resources will help employers and employees understand their rights and responsibilities in relation to age discrimination, and navigate strategies for hiring and retaining older workers and harnessing the power of multigenerational teams. 

 


*Australian Human Resources Institute, Employing Older Workers Report, 2021. 

**Australian Human Resources Institute, Employing Older Workers Report, 2021. 

Older worker invisible

Campaign video

The Commission recently launched a new campaign video promoting the value of older workers in Australian workplaces. Retaining older workers and maintaining a productive multigenerational workplace brings a host of benefits for businesses, including the retention of organisational knowledge...

11 June, 2021

older woman on telephone help line

Who to contact

Age discrimination happens when someone is treated unfairly or denied an opportunity because of their age. What can you do if you experience age discrimination in the workplace? Within your workplace, you can: Try to manage the situation yourself, but only if you feel comfortable and safe talking...

10 June, 2021

Webinar Recording. Harnessing the Power of Older Workers. Practical Strategies for building and maintaining a high performing multigenerational workforce

Harnessing the Power of Older Workers webinar 

The Commission recently hosted a webinar, Harnessing the Power of Older Workers, which focused on practical actions that businesses can take to foster age friendly work environments in which older workers are valued for their skills and experience. It also addressed practical strategies to enable...

1 July, 2021