Ageing Workforce Strategy

Planning for predictable change, protecting capability, and supporting longer working lives

The UK workforce is ageing, and many organisations are already seeing the impact through shifting career pathways, changing health needs and evolving expectations around work. We work alongside employers to understand how workforce ageing will influence capability, continuity and service delivery — not in the distant future, but over the next few years.

An ageing workforce is a strategic planning priority, and organisations that prepare early are better placed to maintain performance and stability.

Why an Ageing Workforce Strategy matters

Without a structured approach, workforce ageing can create predictable pressures:

capability gaps as experienced employees retire

loss of critical institutional knowledge

increased recruitment and training costs• weakened succession pipelines

reduced continuity in specialist or customer-facing roles

These are not cultural issues — they are operational and strategic risks that can be

anticipated and managed.

What labour market data is telling us

National evidence shows a workforce in transition:

The average age of labour market exit is now at its highest on record: around 65.7 for

men and 64.5 for women.

Economic inactivity among people aged 50–64 remains above pre-pandemic levels,

driven largely by long-term health conditions and caring responsibilities.

Around 750,000 people aged 50–64 want to work or return to work but face barriers,

including health, flexibility and discrimination.

This means employers must plan for both predictable retirements and unexpected exits —

while rethinking how they attract, support and retain mid- and later-career employees.

What an Effective Ageing Workforce Strategy Includes

Understanding your workforce today

We work with employers to build a shared, evidence-based picture of:

age profile and likely retirement horizons

roles with high exposure to capability or knowledge-loss risk

succession depth and gaps

barriers preventing experienced people from staying

A clear view of today enables better decisions for tomorrow.

Addressing age bias

Ageism continues to affect recruitment, promotion and access to development. Challenging these barriers is essential for fairness — and for maintaining capability as the workforce ages.

Co-designing work to support longer working lives

Flexible, sustainable work design is often central to retaining experienced employees.

Approaches can include:

hybrid or remote options (where possible)• adjusted duties and realistic workloads

phased retirement pathways

outcome-focused roles

These adaptations protect capability while reducing avoidable turnover.

Protecting knowledge before it's lost

We work alongside employers to develop simple, structured approaches that safeguard

organisational memory:

mentoring and peer-learning

shadowing and co-working