Launched at a conference in Brussels on 4 April 2006, a new CEEP guide on managing demographic change in the workplace advocates a lifecycle approach to workforce management to ensure that skills, competencies and “workability” are maintained throughout an individual’s career. The guide acknowledges that demographic change and the predicted skills and workforce shortages resulting from the decline in labour supply mean that the “culture of early retirement”, which has developed over the last 30 years needs to be challenged seriously.
In the context of the modernisation of public services across the European Union, forward workforce planning is seen to hold the key not only dealing with the challenges of demographic change, but also delivering ever improving services to the public. The guide makes a clear business case for the implementation of active ageing strategies as workforce planning; diversity policy; a preventative and proactive approach to health and safety management; the provision of relevant, high quality ongoing training; the availability of flexible working arrangements and an active social dialogue on key workforce issues are repeatedly shown by good practice to have a positive effect on staff retention, motivation, service quality and productivity.
The guide is published in the context of a forthcoming European Commission Communication on Demographic Change and the inclusion of active ageing as one of the key issues to be discussed by the European cross-sectoral social partners as part of their new work programme agreed in January 2006.
It was prepared as part of a European funded project on “Devising Active Ageing Strategies among Public Sector Employers”. The project was run by CEEP UK with partners in Denmark (Danish State Employers’ Authority) and Germany (Bremer Strassenbahnen).
For further information or copies of the guide, please contact
Tina Weber, European Policy Officer, CEEP UK
Please follow this link to the report on the closing conference
Please follow this link to the “Valuing age” guidance document in English
Please follow this link to the “Valuing age” guidance document in French
Please follow this link to the “Valuing age” guidance document in German