Following concerning news that more of our older workforce are now ‘economically inactive’ compared to pre-pandemic levels, the Business Health Matters team have been looking at ways to support local businesses to encourage older workers back into the workplace and provide wellbeing support to those in employment.

The Centre for Ageing Better has identified that over 330,000 more workers aged 50-64 are now ‘economically inactive’. And since 2020 in Lancashire, there are an additional 33,000 working-age individuals no longer in work or looking for work, an increase of 17.4%. (Lancashire Skills Hub, 2022).

So, what can Lancashire businesses do to combat the rising figures?

As recommended by the Centre for Ageing Better, businesses can seek support on how to recruit, retain and support workers and tap into the invaluable role older workers can play in boosting productivity. They provided support on how to get started with recruitment, here: https://ageing-better.org.uk/good-recruitment-older-workers-grow

It is also key that businesses support existing employees in the workplace. Paul Blythin, Project Lead for Business Health Matters, said:

“A challenge that some of older employees can face is a decline in their health, which can lead to long-term conditions or even economic inactivity. We’re urging Lancashire businesses to support their employees with annual checks on their physical and mental health so that early prevention can be put into place.”

“Our programme accesses funding from Innovate UK to part-fund a health check service so it is affordable to as many businesses as possible, with our checks costing just £60 per employee.”

Developed in partnership with the University of Central Lancashire and Lancashire Mind, the comprehensive health checks are available to businesses of all sizes across Lancashire. To find out more about what’s included and to get started, please click here.

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