Employers in Finland are not necessarily willing to hire workers older than 55 years of age, even as they face problems recruiting new staff, according to research by the Finnish Centre for Pensions.
"Although the majority of employers are positive towards hiring older workers, negative workplace age stereotypes may pose a potential obstacle for some employers to make the best use of an older workforce," the centre's senior researcher Aart-Jan Riekhoff said in a press release issued on Tuesday.
The study found that employers who have difficulty filling jobs do end up more willing to hire retirees. The pension centre said that this could be because the workers may already be familiar to the employer, they have the needed skills and maybe willing to work part-time.
"Pensioners are a flexible labour reserve for employers. Maybe employers feel that they don’t have to commit to pensioners as employees," Riekhoff noted in the release.
He added that employers should be better informed about the experience and skills that older workers can offer.
"Employers should also be supported in adjusting to an older workforce. In addition, the aim should be to dispel age stereotypes not only at workplaces but also in society at large," he said.
The pension centre's study was based on a survey of around 1,700 public and private sector Finnish employers in 2021. The survey asked for their opinions about extending working life and the retirement age.
Users with an Yle ID can leave comments on our news stories. You can create your Yle ID via this link. Our guidelines on commenting and moderation are explained here.
