In today’s competitive landscape, older workers are not as desirable as their younger counterparts. But here at BGC Group, a Singapore, job agency, we believe that everyone, no matter age, gender, and race, is eligible for all job positions!
Let us help change your mindset! Here are the 10 benefits of hiring a mature worker:
1. Mature workers are less stressed out and rattled
With age, comes a number of life experiences that contribute to your maturity. A mature employee will be less stressed out when problems crop up. Instead, the employee will be able to think of solutions to help resolve the issue, thanks to their rich working experience.
2. Passionate employees have no expiration date
We should avoid falling into the trap of believing that passion has an expiry date. More and more mature age employees in Singapore are continuing to work simple jobs, past the traditional retirement age.
Passion has no expiration date. In fact, surveys report that older employees tend to work longer hours, compared to their younger colleagues. Older workers work at least 50 hours a week, at least 5 hours more than the average.
3. They want to set good examples
As employers, we often hold this belief that older, mature job seekers and employees are egotistical; resistant to change. This idea couldn’t be further from the truth. Older workers can be trained to mentor and teach younger (and newer) colleagues.
Additionally, older employees who have been in the working world for some time will also pick up useful skills such as the inner workings of the business world.
4. Older full-time workers prefer positions in service sectors
Whilst the younger generation views skilled positions and service sector jobs as temporary positions or “starter” jobs, mature employers tend to view them as stable positions to finance themselves for the rest of their lives.
Job categories popular amongst the older generation include admin and support services, hospitality (hotels and restaurants), information and communications, as well as self-employed jobs (e.g. taxi drivers, hawker and stallholders).
Additionally, mature workers are known to be more dedicated workers, compared to their younger counterparts. And what do dedicated and passionate employees produce? Higher quality work.
5. Reduced costs
This may sound harsh but one perk to hiring mature employees is the reduced cost of labour. Unlike the younger generation, looking to start their career off, mature workers already have their own savings and insurance plans in check. As such, they’ll be happier to work positions that offers a less competitive paycheck and benefits, unlike a fresh graduate.
Additionally, older employees prefer working on a flexible schedule and/or basis, which do not entitle them to work insurance schemes. Another false stereotype is that mature workers cost more than their younger colleagues because they no longer have young children, who rely on their parents as dependents for their health care needs.
6. They tend to be more punctual
Older employees who have been in the workplace for a long time, know that time is precious. Hence, they value punctuality. Research also shows that mature employees take less sick leaves, allowing your company to save more money in the long run. In a survey conducted by a UK company, findings show that only 10% of employees over the age of 50 have taken a sick leave compared to 55% of 20 to 39-year-olds.
Additionally, only 12% of mature employees surveyed mentioned that they’ve pretended to be sick. A stark contrast compared to their younger counterparts where 44% of them have admitted to faking an illness.
7. Strong work ethic
Pride, matters to a lot of older workers. Whilst some (not all) younger workers want to put in their time at work, then leave, the elder generation wants to get their job done right. This results in an employee willing to work late nights, or burn the midnight oil, to get things done properly. It may not sound like much, but having pride in one’s career, is a rare attribute.
8. There are benefits to employing a multigenerational team
Here’s an exciting thought! Do you realize that for the first time ever, most workplaces tend to have 5 generations of employees working under their roof? A workforce featuring both millennials and members of the elder generation allows the different generations to learn and lead from one another.
For example, mature employees are often stereotyped as technophobes, unwilling to take on or learn new forms of technology to streamline their jobs. Millennial and/or Generation Z employees will be able to step in and lead their older counterparts.
This phenomenon is known as reverse mentoring and allows for employees of differing ages to bounce ideas off one another, which will inadvertently let employees learn crucial soft skills such as leadership and teamwork skills.
The key to retaining dedicated, mature employees
The key to retaining mature employees is time flexibility, especially in Singapore. Additionally, patience and training will be needed to train the employee.
However, despite the many benefits of hiring a mature worker in Singapore, jobs for those above the age of 45 are increasingly hard to find. Employers will have to realize that mature workers can be dependable, loyal, and organized when given the opportunity to do so.
Are you a mature job seeker ready to embark on your next career adventure?
If you mature job seeker in Singapore, on the lookout for your next career move, don’t forget to check out our "CV Guide for Mature Job Seekers". As a Singapore job agency, we welcome job seekers of all ages, to send us their resume here.
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