Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they have taken to facilitate employment for people (1) over 50, and (2) over 60.

The Government is committed to ensuring that employers are aware of the wealth of skills and experience that older workers bring to the workplace. There is also a clear business need; by the 2030s over 50s will comprise over half of the UK adult working age population and employers increasingly need to employ and retain the skills and experience of older workers longer to remain competitive and avoid skills and labour shortages in the future.

The Government has recently appointed the Business in the Community (BiTC) Age at Work Leadership Team led by Andy Briggs, Chief Executive of Aviva UK and Chairman of Global Life, as Business Champion for Older Workers to promote the benefits older people bring to employers. The BiTC team will actively promote the benefits of older workers to employers across England – influencing them both strategically and in terms of practical advice.

Jobcentre Plus advisers have the flexibility to offer all claimants, including older people, a comprehensive menu of help which includes skills provision and job search support. All claimants who are long-term unemployed can access the tailored back to work support, on offer from the Work Programme.

Jobcentre Plus also introduced an Older Claimant Champion in each of its seven Jobcentre Plus Groups in April 2015. These Champions work with Work Coaches and employer-facing staff to raise the profile of older workers, highlight the benefits of employing older jobseekers and share best practice.

DWP is working with a range of organisations and employers to produce effective solutions and set up working groups of employers to look at improving the retention, retraining and recruitment of people age 50+. The Government will publish a new cross-government, employer-led national strategy which will set out the future direction of the Fuller Working Lives agenda early next year. The new strategy will be firmly grounded in “A New Vision for Older Workers: Retain, Retrain, Recruit”.