Andy Briggs, chief executive of Aviva UK Life, is calling on UK employers to publicly commit to employing 12 per cent more older workers by 2022.
Mr Briggs, who is also the government’s business champion for older workers also said employers should publish their workforce data by age.
Aviva, Atos, Barclays, The Co-operative Group, Home Instead Senior Care, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), Mercer, and Walgreens Boots Alliance are the first employers to publicly pledge their commitment to meeting this target and have already published their age data.
Mr Briggs said: “The UK is facing a colossal skills gap, and older workers are vital to filling it.
"Businesses can show leadership here, through committing to real change and actively seeking to recruit more over 50s into their organisations.
"By being open about the progress they are making, they can also lead the way in demonstrating the benefits of having a diverse team of employees that represents all sections of society.
“Aviva is proud to be one of the first employers to publicly commit to 12 per cent more older workers by 2022 and to publish workforce data by age.
"Currently, around 19 per cent of our workforce is over 50 – and we will improve on this over time. We hope to exceed rather than just meet the 12 per cent target.
"Having employees with the life experience and maturity, who can fully relate to our customers, is hugely valuable, and the over 50s are essential to this."
stephanie.hawthorne@ft.com
