Supporting older workers

Wales’ population is ageing rapidly, we’re living longer and having fewer children. As the general population ages, then Wales’ workforce follows suit. There are more workers aged 50 and over in Wales than ever before.

By 2025, 1 in 3 Welsh workers will be over the age of 50 and workplaces need to prepare for our ageing workforce by valuing our older workers and encouraging intergenerational working.

Working lives are lasting longer and we’re having more changes of jobs than ever before. Since the 1980’s, the average retirement age has been increasing and workers are likely to change jobs as the idea of a ‘job for life’ becomes a distant memory.

Wales TUC research has found that a third of over-50s expect to retire later than they envisioned when they were 40. A significant group of workers believe that they will continue working into their 70’s.

Wales TUC has identified financial insecurity, the removal of the mandatory retirement age and increased demand for the skills of many older workers as factors driving these increases.

Older Workers Toolkit

In August 2020 we launched a new toolkit that provides ideas and resources to help trade union officers and representatives to:

push employers to enact more age-friendly workplace policies
tackle age-based discrimination in the workplace
create more inclusive, healthy and sustainable environments for all workers as they grow older

Download our Older Workers Toolkit

Older workers online discussion

On 19 August we held an online discussion to launch the new toolkit. We heard from three great speakers:

Heléna Herklots CBE, Older Peoples Commissioner for Wales, spoke about her important work and current campaigns.
Wales TUC Equality Policy Officer Rhianydd Williams gave a presentation on what the data shows about older workers in Wales.
Older worker Meryl Griffiths shared her powerful story about feeling forced to take early retirement during the Coronavirus pandemic.

You can download the presentation and watch the event below. Subtitles are available by clicking the subtitles button on the video (next to the settings cog icon).

Older workers and Covid-19

Age is an important factor in how vulnerable you are to Covid-19 or its impacts. Older people are more likely to contract Covid-19 which can lead to serious illness or death. Older workers need to be protected both financially and physically within their workplace.

Read more about the impacts of Covid-19 on older workers and what employers and the Government can do to help them in our age and Covid equality guide.

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