Leveraging an age-diverse workforce for competitive advantage

An age-diverse workforce can be a competitive advantage when organizations design talent systems that value older workers’ experience, motivation and capacity to mentor others. As work lives lengthen and technology changes how work gets done, HR and people leaders need strategies that help employees of every age keep contributing, learning and adapting.

With aging populations and lengthening work lives, the proportion of older workers in the global workforce is increasing. This demographic shift is both a challenge and an opportunity for organizations to leverage the unique skills and experience of older workers to gain a competitive edge.

Understanding and integrating older workers into talent systems can help companies address talent gaps and create high-quality jobs. Bain & Company published a report called “Better with Age: The Rising Importance of Older Workers.” The details below summarize this report, add current workforce context and provide actionable recommendations for HR and people leaders to benefit from an aging workforce.

How can HR leaders understand the demographics + motivations of older workers?

Older workers, aged 55 and above, will comprise more than 25% of the workforce in Group of Seven countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, United States) by 2031, according to Bain & Company. The trend is visible in the United States, too: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects workers ages 55 and older will represent 23.8% of the U.S. labor force by 2033.

As workers age, their motivations shift, with a stronger focus on interesting work, autonomy and flexibility, especially post-retirement. The OECD’s 2025 Employment Outlook also notes that employment rates among workers aged 55 and above have risen across OECD countries over the past two decades, while progress remains uneven across countries and age groups.

Older workers often fall into the archetypes of Artisans and Givers, desiring mastery and service, respectively. 

• Artisans draw their motivation predominantly from the pursuit of perfection in their craft. They want their work to engage their interests, and they cherish the independence to innovate and create.
• Givers find fulfillment through service-centric roles. Seeing the positive effects of their work on others brings them joy and a sense of achievement.
  

Actionable steps for HR/people leaders:

• Develop tailored retention and recruitment strategies emphasizing interesting work, autonomy and flexibility.
• Implement mentoring programs to leverage the knowledge and experience of older workers.
• Consider flexible work arrangements to accommodate older workers' desire for reduced working hours.
  
• Avoid assuming every older employee wants the same path. Ask about preferred schedules, career goals, learning interests and ways they want to contribute.

Why is reskilling older workers important?

Despite their wealth of experience, older workers may need to upskill or reskill, particularly in technology, to remain productive in the digital and AI age. However, older workers may assign less importance to learning and growth, and may require encouragement and motivation to participate in training programs.

For HR and L&D leaders, the opportunity is not just to teach a tool. It is to help people change how work gets done. That means connecting training to real tasks, creating safe practice opportunities and showing managers how to reinforce new behaviors after the class or session ends.

• Older workers may require reskilling, particularly in technology.
• Training programs should be designed to align with the interests and motivations of older workers.
• Encouragement and motivation from supervisors can increase training participation among older workers.
  

Actionable steps for HR/people leaders:

• Identify skill gaps among older workers and create training programs to address these needs.
• Incorporate elements of interesting work into training programs to increase appeal for older workers.
• Foster a growth mindset among older workers and promote the benefits of continuous learning.
• Train managers to invite participation without stereotyping. Position AI and digital fluency as organization-wide capabilities, not remedial training for any one age group.

How can companies value the strengths of older workers?

Older workers often bring loyalty, satisfaction and a wealth of knowledge to their roles. They can provide mentoring, set high mastery standards and add value to the workplace culture. However, age-related work discrimination remains a pervasive issue, underscoring the need for organizations to respect and leverage the strengths of older workers. In a 2025 AARP survey, 37% of workers age 50 and older reported experiencing subtle forms of age discrimination during job searches.

• Older workers can provide stability, institutional knowledge and mentorship.
• Age-related work discrimination remains a widespread issue.
• The strengths of older workers can enhance workplace culture and productivity.
  

Actionable steps for HR/people leaders:

• Promote an inclusive, high-performance culture that values and respects the contributions of older workers.
• Implement mentoring programs that allow older workers to share their expertise.
• Advocate for fair treatment and non-discrimination of older workers in the workplace.
• Audit recruiting, promotion, performance and training practices for age-based assumptions, including language that may unintentionally signal that certain roles or learning opportunities are only for younger employees.

Older workers represent an opportunity when they are engaged and appropriately developed

The demographic shift toward an aging workforce presents opportunities for organizations willing to adapt and invest in older talent. By understanding their motivations, offering relevant reskilling opportunities and recognizing their strengths, companies can tap into this talent pool for a competitive advantage. HR leaders are crucial in shaping these strategies and fostering an inclusive, age-diverse workforce.

The most effective approach is practical and personal: understand what motivates older workers, remove barriers to participation, give managers the tools to support development and create learning experiences that help every employee apply new skills at work.

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