Employers in the Southeast Brabant region increasingly expect staff shortages in the coming years due to an aging population. Nearly four in ten employers think that employees will retire within five years.
That according to Studio040 from research by the UWV. The outflow of older employees is seen as a problem, especially in industry, government and construction. The share of people over 60 is relatively high in these sectors.
In Southeast Brabant, approximately 10 percent of employees are 60 years or older, equal to the national average.
Difficult to replace
Employers who expect problems mainly cite the tightness in the labor market as a bottleneck. 95 percent indicate that it is difficult to replace departing staff.
Employers are also concerned about the loss of experience and knowledge when employees retire. In addition, the guiding role of older employees often disappears.
Industry and government affected
More than 50,000 people work in the industry in the region, 11 percent of whom are 60 years or older. Due to a shortage of new technically trained personnel, there is a risk of a structural shortage here.
This problem also occurs in construction. There, 11 percent of employees are also over 60. Employers indicate that there is not enough young influx to absorb this. In government, 15 percent of the workforce is 60 years or older. There, the loss of knowledge and experience is mainly seen as a risk.
Solutions
The UWV advises employers to use older employees as supervisors of younger colleagues, so that knowledge is retained. Companies could also more often hire people who still need to be trained through an apprenticeship program.
In addition, employers are advised to discuss working longer with older employees at an earlier stage.
