Swiss employers and the reluctance to mobilise the potential of the 55+

A recent study by Swiss Life reveals that Swiss employers remain passive in the face of senior employment policy, despite a shortage of skilled workers. Although Switzerland has a high labour market participation rate for 55-64 year-olds, the encouragement to work beyond the age of 65 remains rare. Only 14% of employers actively encourage people to continue working after retirement age.

Nearly half of employers consider retirement before 65 for men to be ideal, and 58% believe this should be the case for women. Despite recognition of the potential of older workers, they represent only 8% of new hires.

Faced with the difficulty of recruiting qualified personnel, 22% of companies cover their needs by hiring seniors, but only 13% encourage working beyond the reference age. This paradox highlights an underuse of the available potential of 55-70 year-olds.