As organizations navigate talent shortages, rapid technological shifts, and widening skills gaps, HR leaders are being challenged to look beyond traditional assumptions about the workforce. One of the most underestimated groups is older workers, according to HR industry experts.. Older talent brings not just experience, but a combination of engagement, adaptability, and specialized knowledge that organizations urgently need.

Speaking as part of a SHRM webinar, Jennifer Perez, a SHRM Thought Leadership researcher, noted an important demographic shift: “We've been seeing over the last 20 years or so, more older workers working full-time than part-time." This trend alone challenges the long-held belief that older employees are gradually exiting the workforce.

A recent SHRM research report reinforces the fact that that older workers continue to excel. Perez pointed out that “almost 40% of HR professionals say that older workers actually outperform others.” Their strengths are particularly apparent in engagement and institutional knowledge. “HR pros that we surveyed also tended to agree that older workers are loyal, bring specialized knowledge that other age groups might lack, and are highly engaged at work,” she explained.

These advantages go deeper than technical experience. Perez emphasized that “[t]hey have not only years of work experience, but years of life experience." With that knowledge comes valuable creativity and problem-solving skills. For organizations seeking steady leadership, practical wisdom, and resilience, these attributes are indispensable.

Toolkit: Employing Older Workers 

Dispelling Tech and Training Misconceptions

One of the most persistent stereotypes about older workers concerns their relationship to technology. Yet the voices of older employees contradict that narrative. “When you look at what older workers are saying, they're eager to learn new technologies and that includes AI,” Perez said. Their confidence follows suit: “Older workers perceive themselves as strong in areas like learning, adaptability and growth.”

Learning and development teams may be relieved to know that training programs do not require an overhaul to support older employees. "It's not necessarily that older workers need entirely new, newly designed training," Perez explained. "A lot of these common methods like on-the-job training are also effective for them.” What matters most is the opportunity to grow. “Older workers say things like upskilling and reskilling are very effective at keeping [them] engaged and motivated to stay.”

Building Inclusive Strategies

HR leaders can make meaningful changes through thoughtful, actionable strategies. Job descriptions are a strategic first step. “Modifying job postings to be more inclusive of all age ranges and abilities" is important, as is ensuring that job descriptions have an emphasis on the skills needed for the position, according to Perez. 

Language plays a key role in creating age-inclusive hiring practices. Phrases like "digital native" or "tech savvy" are best avoided. Such language "feeds into the common misconceptions that people might have about older workers' abilities,” Perez cautioned. Small adjustments in wording can significantly broaden the applicant pool.

Mentorship is another powerful tool for bridging generational divides. “Reverse mentoring flips the traditional mentoring model by having younger workers as mentors to the older workers," Perez said. This model gives both parties a chance to teach and to learn. Such programs strengthen culture, collaboration, and knowledge sharing across age groups.

Training accessibility also supports workers of all ages. “It's totally OK for training to go back to the basics of universal design that all workers benefit from," Perez said, suggesting clear step-by-step guides as well as audio and visual accessibility. Universal design ensures learning programs remain both effective and inclusive.

Podcast: Don't Overlook Older Workers — They're an Untapped Talent Pool

A Talent Imperative, Not a Niche Issue

The case for valuing older workers reaches beyond I&D or culture initiatives — it is fundamentally a talent strategy issue. Ashley Miller, director of operations and partnerships at SHRM, also speaking as part of the webinar, emphasized that it is smart business to recognize the current skills mismatch. "We need to make the most and greatest use of the talent that we have here available to us," she said.  

Removing age bias from hiring and promotion decisions is a critical step. “If you can strip away all of the individual characteristics about a job candidate or an employee and look objectively at the skills that they're bringing to the table," Miller said, "that's really important and takes any potential bias out of the recruiting selection process.”

Perez added that meaningful progress doesn't require sweeping, organization-wide campaigns. Combating workplace biases "doesn't always have to be this large-scale effort," she said. "I think a lot of small, intentional actions also really go a long way."

This article is courtesy of Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)