Older employees just as productive as young ones, study shows

Workers who are in the twilight of their careers are not necessarily a spent resource

A new analysis carried out by the confederation of Danish industry, Dansk Industri (DI), reveals that the blame for declining productivity in Denmark can’t be laid at the door of an increasing number of elderly employees.

“Previously, experts from the economics council, Det Økonomiske Råd, have pointed to how larger numbers of elderly employees in the employment market can drag productivity down,” said the deputy head of DI, Kent Damsgaard.

“Our analysis shows very clearly that older employees are just as productive as the younger ones.”

Staying at work longer
The analysis is timely because the trend is for more and more older workers to remain in employment.

“The reality is that the older workers can contribute knowledge and experience that can be worth their weight in gold to a company, from which a lot of the younger employees will also derive great benefit.”

Between 2010 and 2016, the growth rate in productivity in Denmark was under 1 percent per annum. In contrast, during the period from 1970 to 1995, the figure was up to almost 3 percent per annum.

So Shakespeare seems to have hit the nail on the head once again when the old faithful servant Adam in ‘As You Like It’ uttered the line: “Though I look old, yet I am strong and lusty.”

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