Opening up recruitment to older workers

Top tips:

• Build relationships with local employability services to reach people who may not otherwise see your vacancies.
• Look beyond qualifications and recognise the skills and experience people have gained throughout their working lives.
• Remove unnecessary barriers to recruitment, including digital application processes and formal interviews. 

Focus

For the Talent Management Team at Neath Port Talbot Council, becoming an Age-friendly Employer has provided a focus for reaching people who might otherwise be overlooked by traditional recruitment processes.

The council signed the Age-friendly Employer Pledge in 2025. Talent Management Specialist Caroline Amott says this helped secure organisational support for a more targeted approach.

Upside down

A key part of the council’s approach has been working with Jobcentre Plus and local employability services.  

The council joined the Midlife MOT programme and now attends workshops for people aged 50 and over who are out of work. Staff explain the opportunities available at the Council and provide one-to-one support.  

For many people, digital recruitment is a significant barrier. Council applications are normally completed online and require candidates to write a personal statement.

Instead of this, the council turns the process upside down.  

The Talent Management Team meet with people first to identify the skills and experience they can bring – the paperwork comes later.  

For roles such as school cooks, cleaners, community wellbeing officers and school crossing patrol officers, potential candidates can meet the recruiting manager at the job centre rather than going through a traditional recruitment process.

Candidates can talk about their experience and what they could bring to the role. If they are suitable, they are then provided with dedicated support with the application form-filling.

Removing barriers  

This approach has helped the Council fill vacancies that had proved difficult to recruit for – particularly jobs with low hours.  

The council’s Talent Management Team highlights the experience of Derek, who had been out of work for many years and faced a number of practical barriers, including limited digital confidence. The Council provided additional one-to-one support, enabling him to secure a job as a ‘lollipop man’.  

Retraining

The council has lots of employees in the 45 – 54 age group and wants to retain and support them to develop throughout their careers. Employees can access training, progression opportunities and apprenticeships at any age.

The team helped an internal applicant whose contract was coming to an end with job search and application support. She changed careers completely and moved from a temporary job within the Heritage Section to a permanent role within Planning Services.

Benefits

For the council, these examples illustrate why employers need to look beyond conventional job application processes and make use of existing support from Jobcentre Plus and employability services.

The approach may require extra time and commitment, but it pays off by helping to fill hard-to-recruit roles and reducing reliance on expensive recruitment methods, such as advertising and agency fees.  

For Neath Port Talbot Council, the Age-friendly Employer Pledge has helped turn that principle into practical action. 

For employers considering the Pledge, Neath Port Talbot’s message is simple: older workers represent a significant pool of skills, experience and potential – and sometimes all that is needed is a different way of reaching them.

What can I do next?

• Use the Age-friendly Employer Pledge to drive action, not just as a statement of intent.
• Think about flexibility and the types of roles and hours that can work for people at different stages of their lives.
• Connect with Jobcentre Plus and local employability services to tap into their pool of candidates.
• Rethink hiring methods – be prepared to interview people without the normal paperwork being completed first.