Older workers have ‘untapped potential’ to fill labour shortages
Switzerland’s workforce is in good shape but perhaps not for long, according to a new study by the consulting firm Deloitte. Tapping existing pools of talent including older workers and women are key to helping companies meet future demands for skilled labour.
This content was published on
3 minutes
swissinfo.ch/jdp
Français
fr
Les travailleurs aînés, un «potentiel inexploité» pour combler les pénuries de main-d’œuvre
In its latest future of work study released on Tuesday, Deloitte surveyed 15,000 people from ten European countries to gauge the attitudes of employees on major workforce trends. This included 1,000 people in Switzerland, whose views on labour trends and recommendations for companies are captured in the “Voice of the Workforce in SwitzerlandExternal link” country supplement.
While the Swiss job market has been characterised by low unemployment, high salaries and skilled labour, Deloitte’s study anticipates major challenges resulting from digitisation and an ageing society. It argues that companies will not only struggle to recruit staff with the right skills but also to recruit adequate numbers of people to meet future demands.
The Federal Statistical Office estimates that by 2040 the number of retired people in the country will have reached 2.6 million, up from 1.6 million at present. The number of people under 20 will also rise, albeit by a smaller amount, from 1.7 million to 1.9 million.
In 2016, more Swiss workers left the labour market than entered it for the first time. If these demographic trends continue, the Swiss labour market will face a shortfall of around half a million workers by 2030.
Rethinking the value of older workers
The report makes several recommendations to help companies tackle these challenges. These include rethinking the value of existing talent pools such as workers who are unemployed, underemployed or part of the reserve labour force – people not seeking work but who are available as well as those seeking work but who are not yet available.
Deloitte estimates that this represents 852,000 people or about 12% of the permanent resident population over 15 years of age. Some 60% of workers who are not seeking jobs but would like to work are women, according to Deloitte. The other portion of this group is people over 55, many of whom have reached retirement age and are already receiving a pension but could imagine working. Women also make up two-thirds of the underemployed.
While extending the weekly working hours, raising the retirement age, or increasing the number of foreign workers could be a way forward, these are too politically sensitive to gain support.
The report emphasizes that older workers have skills and knowledge that are overlooked. They are also more likely to be flexible when it comes to salary and working hours. The study also found that 85% of older workers are motivated at work, which is higher than other age groups.
Other key recommendations include redesigning employment models to consider part-time working, freelancing and portfolio careers as well as encouraging retraining and lifelong learning for employees.
More
More
More working hours for women? Easier said than done
This content was published on
With a labour shortage looming, there is a debate on how to incentivise women to increase their workload.
Swiss football boss wants crackdown on individual hooligans
This content was published on
The head of the Swiss Football League says he prefers a harsher approach to individual hooligans rather than collective punishment measures affecting all fans.
Amherd: Council of Europe is ‘as urgently needed as ever’
This content was published on
The Swiss government emphasised on Sunday the vital role of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe, 75 years after it was founded.
Swiss minister: Italy will back Switzerland in EU talks
This content was published on
Bern can count on the backing of Italy as it re-enters talks with the European Union on future relations, Viola Amherd says.
Student protestors at University of Lausanne continue pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
Since Thursday, a hall on campus has been occupied by students calling for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions and a ceasefire in Gaza.
This content was published on
Swiss public broadcasters RTS and SRF are drastically reducing their communications via the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Israel: president of Swiss universities rejects academic boycott
This content was published on
Luciana Vaccaro, president of Swissuniversities, the umbrella group of Swiss universities, is not in favour of an academic boycott of Israeli universities.
This content was published on
Automation will mainly take the place of manual labour, office and retail workers, says the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper, which has seen an advance copy of the McKinsey report. But jobs involving IT, high levels of creativity or organisational and management skills will increase. The topic of work in the era of the ‘fourth industrial…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.