...The Results of the Project “Generational Man-agement in the Working Life” ("Generationenmanagement im Arbeitsleben – GeniAL”) Car-ried out by the Statutory Pension Scheme
Authors: Dr. Christina Stecker, Alexander Kühl, Dr. Ralph Conrads/Locations: Berlin, Stadtbergen
In the next decade a positive development of the employment market and a slight increase of the labour supply can be expected. However, as of 2020, the demographic development will lead to a decline of labour supply in many regions. Until then, the demographic development will first and foremost influence the average age of the personnel. Consequently, occupa-tional measures should focus on the aspect of an aging workforce.
Even though occupational measures are necessary, only a few companies have initiated ap-propriate structural changes. According to a recent survey (“IAB-Betriebspanel”), 60 percent of the companies in Germany state that they do not have a personnel problem; only 3 per-cent of the polled companies addressed the problem of aging personnel. Though, this per-ception varies depending on the size of the companies: Only 1 percent of the companies with less than 10 employees address the problem of aging personnel. This share increases con-tinuously according to the size of the companies up to 30 percent of the companies with more than 250 employees. The same applies to the recruitment of specialized staff. This problem was addressed by 8 percent of the small companies, but by 60 percent of the bigger companies.
However, the age-related loss of long-term specialized employees in combination with a par-tial shortage of skilled labour and regional recruitment problems has not yet led to a rein-forcement of advanced occupational training of elderly employees as an adequate counter-measure. As far as small and mid-sized companies are concerned, it is to be assumed that this is due to trends of pertinacity and to a lack of knowledge regarding the need for action and coping strategies. In this context it is essential to record the potentials of the company´s aging workforce more precisely. Persistent sensitization and interchange of ideas are nec-cessary to reach the turning point in the occupational perception of neccessities and oppor-tunities to shape the demographic change. The project GeniAL offers both. The occupational sensitization regarding the aging of personnel as well as the competency development con-cerning the analysis and the implementation of aging, health, and knowledge management (i. e. generational management) provided as part of the project GeniAL, are subject to on-going quality assurance.
Based on the experience gained in the project GeniAL the authors recommend the extension of consulting services to guarantee an appropriate standard of occupational consulting in the field of demography.
