Finnish lessons for an ageing workforce

Dec 08 2004 by Brian Amble Print This Article

Finland was heading for a severe labour shortage until the advent of a new concept called "work ability", a complex holistic concept that the Finnish government has been promoting since 1998 to keep older people in the workplace and capture their knowledge and experience.

Since it was introduced, the employment rate of Finns aged 55-64 has jumped more than 13 per cent compared to the EU average rise of 5.1 per cent.

And as BBC's online explains, the scheme is based around an evidence-based approach that aims to convince employers to tailor their work to individuals as they age - and also to improve those individuals' health and skills or knowledge needed for the job.

BBC Online | Moving the Finnish line at work