why increasing the pension age is a business issue.

recently we have heard a lot of debate about the merits of lifting the Australian pension age.

An age that was set in the early 20th century when most workers were not expected to live long enough to collect their pension.

However, now as we are expected to live much longer, the demand this will place on the current scheme means the government is forced to look at lifting the age, as it simply can not afford to keep us in retirement at the current threshold.



Whilst this has created much conjecture about the merits of such a move, I find it interesting that the debate misses making an important point.

Keeping workers in the workforce longer is not only a critical issue for the government but also a critical issue for businesses.

we indeed have an aging population, but so what?

Governments will find new ways to fund pensions, and increasing levels of superannuation will support large parts of Gen X’s retirement.

However, the problem in Australia is more significant than the financial impact of supporting an aged pension scheme. It is about having enough workers to meet business demands.



In Australia, our birth rate has declined since the early 1960s to the point where we now have fewer school leavers entering the workforce than retirees exiting it.

With a conservative approach to immigration, we face a looming crisis.

We simply won’t have enough workers to fill the jobs we will have.



So we either need to lift immigration levels, which in the current political climate seems unlikely, or businesses need to find ways to engage older workers in the workforce for longer.



This presents a further dilemma as the recent Randstad Award research shows that most Australians consider their ideal retirement age is 57. Bad news for the government trying to “sell” the increase in pension age but more importantly, this is bad news for employers.



However, there is some reason to be optimistic. These same Australians do not see retirement as a full stop after 40 years in the workforce.

They want to remain engaged in some way and still like to contribute, just not on a full-time basis.

workplace flexibility is an essential word in their vocabulary as they plan a retirement that may still include work.

To retain this talent, companies will need to offer fewer hours and more flexible work arrangements such as working remotely or training and mentoring younger employees.



The “temp”, once seen as an office intern, will be an essential business asset characterized by senior employees with a broad range of skills from the factory floor to the boardroom.

These older workers still have a lot to give.

They just don’t want to give it all the time, and the organisations that can harness their experience while providing the flexibility in retirement that they are looking for will retain a workforce rich in knowledge that will be essential to the future success of those businesses.



So forget the debate on pension funding.

Retaining and engaging older talent is a business necessity. And while governments work on pension funding, employers must build a strong recruitment and retention strategy that provides them with a mature age flexible, skilled workforce and their employees with flexible retirement options.