Nearly nine in ten employers (88%) are concerned about the departure of baby boomers in a few years' time, according to an enquiry conducted by recruitment agency Robert Half.
Belgium is readying itself to witness 700,000 baby-boomers (workers born between 1946 and 1964) leaving the jobs market in coming years.
"The ageing population is a fact and baby-boomers are a first-rate source of skills, experience and know-how. It is therefore nothing unusual that this should worry Belgian businesses. Anticipating these departures is essential, at the micro as well as the macro levels. In the short term, recruitment difficulties may arise. It will then be the responsibility of employers to take measures to respond to the départures," according to Joël Poilvache, a manager at Robert Half.
For four out of ten managers, an ageing work force is one of the three main tendencies that will impact on the Belgian jobs market in 2019.
"Consequently, recruiting well and retaining personnel has become still more important. And managements are aware of it: attracting (28%) and retaining (31%) talent are two of their main concerns, as much within SMEs as multinationals", Robert Half estimated.
The Brussels Times
