randstad official sponsor oecd forum 2014.

Focus on employability older workers in aging economies

Aging is a major social, economic, political, and development issue for the 21st century. Randstad Belgium CEO Herman Nijns is speaking on the topic of aging societies at the OECD Forum 2014, held May 5 and 6 in Paris, of which Randstad is a sponsor. The OECD Forum’s central theme is Resilient Economies for Inclusive Societies, bringing together all sectors of society to share ideas around inclusive growth, jobs, and trust.

In his contribution to the session ‘Aging (Un)equally?’, Herman Nijns emphasizes not to focus on over-protecting and sparing 50+ workers on the labor market, but instead take full advantage of their experience and knowledge and empower 50+ workers to increase their employability. Herman Nijns illustrated the growing participation of older workers by observing: “Workers over 50 were very rare in our sector only a decade ago, but now they represent already 10% of all of our agency workers.”

Fundamental shifts, such as globalization, political and economic volatility, an aging population, new technologies, and changing attitudes to work, are changing the world. “The labor market is faced with a new set of challenges, including a high level of unemployment, an increasing mismatch between supply of and demand for skills, increasing global migration flows and new forms of labor relations”, says Jacques van den Broek, CEO of Randstad. “In order for businesses, and indeed economies, to remain innovative and competitive in today’s environment, flexibility – and, therefore, flexible labor – will be imperative. The debate about whether or not to allow flexible labor and temporary work is misplaced. Rather, the discussion should center on how to best regulate work to create a win-win situation for both businesses and labor.”

Held in Paris each May to coincide with the annual OECD Ministerial Council Meeting, the OECD Forum has emerged as a major international stakeholder summit. Leaders from all sectors of civil society gather to debate the most pressing social and economic challenges confronting society. Since its creation in 2000, more than 18,000 people have exchanged ideas and experiences.