Prioritizing the forgotten generation: why organizations should make boomers a key part of their talent acquisition strategy in 2020
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/SHR-03-2020-0016 |
| Published date | 09 April 2020 |
| Date | 09 April 2020 |
| Pages | 99-102 |
| Author | Debra Squyres |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Employee behaviour |
Prioritizing the forgotten generation:
why organizations should make boomers
a key part of their talent acquisition
strategy in 2020
Debra Squyres
Abstract
Purpose –Every day, nearly 10,000 employees in the Baby Boomer generation retire from the US job
market. However, many in this generation are not ready for a quiet, traditional retirement and are
choosing to remain in the workforce –simply on their own terms. With more employment opportunities
open to candidates in the US job marketthan almost ever before, employers should prioritizeengaging
these seasonedhires in their recruitment strategies.
Design/methodology/approach –Beamery’s Vice President of Customer Success Debra Squyres
reviewed the most important reasons employers should not disregard the ‘‘forgotten generation’’ of
candidates in their hiring strategies, especially when considering the diverse skills and roles Baby
Boomerscan bring to an enterprising workforce.
Findings –Among other job-specificskills and experience, the greatest benefitsof recruiting new hires
from the Baby Boomer generation are the candidates’ years of experience and likely leadership roles,
propensityfor in-person relationship-buildingand unique perspective in anever-diverse workforce.
Originality/value –Highlighting the greatest benefits of Baby Boomer hires to employers is especially
beneficialfor those organizational leaders managing talentacquisition and retention.
Keywords Diversity, Human resource management, Talent management, Organization Development,
Recruitment, Engagement
Paper type Viewpoint
It is 2020, and intensive hiring climatesin the USA show no sign of cooling. US employers
posted 7.6 million open jobs at the beginningof 2019, meaning many job applicants have
more offers than ever before. At the same time, it is estimatedthat somewhere between 60
and 80 million Baby Boomers are exiting the workforceover the next decade –that is a
staggering 10,000 employeeseach day with 30-40 years of experienceapiece.
Many studies report that the majorityof Baby Boomers are ill-prepared financially to support
retirement, and still other reports indicate that Boomers are more active seniors than prior
generations and do not want to settle for a quiet, traditional retirement experience. They
have more to contribute to society, but much like their younger generational counterparts,
they want to do it on their own terms.
In the past we have readily accepted there is a war for talent, but we are now facing a
vacuum of skills and experience from the workforce. And with therate that they are leaving,
it can be easy to forget that they are still a formidableforce in the workplace. They represent
29 per cent of the working population and the youngestBaby Boomers are only in their early
50s. And many older Baby Boomers continueto work, too, either by choice or necessity.
Debra Squyres is Vice
President of Customer
Success based at
Beamery, London, UK.
DOI 10.1108/SHR-03-2020-0016 VOL. 19 NO. 3 2020, pp. 99-102, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1475-4398 jSTRATEGIC HR REVIEW jPAGE 99
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