New Zealand: Summit on Older Workers Held

New Zealand government, business, and union leaders held the Employment of the Older Worker Summit in Wellington on September 4. The Summit was called by the Retirement Commissioner, Diana Crossan, and the EEO Commissioner, Dr Judy McGregor, and aimed to develop practical strategies and actions to increase the number of older workers at a time of growing skills shortages.

“New Zealand will need around 100,000 more people at work in the next twenty years just to stand still and yet older people are often the last to be considered or suffer covert discrimination,” Dr McGregor said.

“We believe that businesses need to be thinking about their age profile and about retaining their mature staff. Baby boomers approaching retirement should be also considering whether they want to continue in paid work and what might make them stay,” Dr McGregor said.

Source: Human Rights Commission Press Release (September 3, 2006)

Other Materials: Click here for materials from the summit.