RESTRICTIVE maternity leave policies, high marginal tax rates and the cost and lack of child care availability often leave many women would like to re-enter the workforce part-time after having children with no choice but to resign from their full-time job and stay at home, leaving their corporate skills, talent and wealth of experience laying idle
RESTRICTIVE maternity leave policies, high marginal tax rates and the cost and lack of child care availability often leave many women would like to re-enter the workforce part-time after having children with no choice but to resign from their full-time job and stay at home, leaving their corporate skills, talent and wealth of experience laying idle.
Commenting on the current shortage of candidates in corporate Australia, Hamilton James & Bruce said a simple lack of flexibility blocked ready access to a pool of experienced, highly skilled, hard working and loyal candidates in stay-at-home mums and mature-age workers.
Flexible working policies for women, mature age workers and all employees who want a healthy work/life balance have also not been properly considered by most employers, as it is seen as too difficult to manage, and the benefits are not understood or appreciated.
With the Federal Government’s recent introduction of family tax benefits and ageing workforce combine with an ageing population and candidate shortage, companies are seriously considering flexibility in their workplaces. As a result, more women will return to the workforce and mature age workers will continue to work and delay retirement.
“This untouched talent pool should not be kept a secret any longer, especially as we delve further into a shrinking candidate market,” said John Colvin, managing director of Hamilton James & Bruce Group.
“Yet this resource will quickly deplete once employers realise the benefits, so companies which don’t act now, and change their workplace and employment policies to accommodate flexibility in the workplace, will be doing themselves a disservice.”
He said companies couldn’t afford to let their good people leave in the current business climate, and flexibility was the key to differentiating themselves from their competitors.
Australian Bureau of Statistics figures reveal that between 1982-1992, 56 per cent of labour market growth came from the 35-44 age group and 31 per cent from the 45 plus age group.
Expectations for the 2000–2010 decade are that only 7 per cent of labour force growth will be in the 35–44 age group, with 85 per cent in the older group. People aged over 45 will account for more than 80 per cent of growth in Australia’s labour force to 2016.
