Mature Workers

Redefining Work After 50

By 2050, the percentage of people over 60 years of age will double.* People are not only living longer, but working longer. As the global workforce continues to age, and the skill gap widens, mature workers—individuals over 50—increasingly find themselves shut out of the labour market. This has far-reaching implications for the workforce, economy, social fabric and individual lives. The Innovation Foundation’s Mature Workers project seeks to tap into this underutilised talent pool and create meaningful re-entry points into the world of work.

The Emerging Challenge

The project began when mature workers repeatedly surfaced as a key demographic in discussions between the global Innovation Foundation and the Adecco Group’s five national Foundations (France, Spain, Italy, Germany, USA). As workforces shrink and people live longer, many over 50 are looking to remain in or return to work. Yet too often they face structural and cultural barriers—assumptions about productivity, technological literacy, potential costs, and the value of their skills. Mature workers emerged as a growing but overlooked population deserving urgent attention.

Scanning the Landscape

To understand the issue and identify the levers to pull, the Innovation Foundation conducted primary research, starting with a general scan, which yielded the Social Radar Report of key trends. Then, to get the front-line view, the foundation conducted a targeted survey of mature workers. Based on the patterns identified, two deep-dive investigations were made—on ‘unretirement’ and job pivots. The findings were clear: many older adults leave work not by choice but due to structural shifts, and re-entry proves difficult, particularly when “pivoting” industry or type of work. Despite a wealth of hard and soft skills, complemented by lived experience, these individuals often struggle to find roles that match their competencies or fit their life circumstances. Equally, or more difficult, is finding employers who see their value.

Building from Insight to Ideation

With the UK chosen as the initial design site—due to its high number of over-50s out of work and government interest in getting people back to work—the Innovation Foundation launched the design process. A multi-stakeholder Working Group was convened. It included employers, government service providers, recruiters, a mental health professional, a design student, an HR tech entrepreneur, local NGOs, and mature workers themselves. The Working Group convened first in Newcastle and then twice online for a series of design workshops. Their mission: generate and refine solutions through an iterative, human-centred design process, two of which would be taken forward into the next phase

Building Early-Stage Prototypes

Building on the findings of the Working Group, the Innovation Foundation put together a 5-person Venture Team to develop two of the early-stage concepts (working titles):

In Placement: a peer-supported career coaching experience designed to replicate outplacement services for those without access to them.
Benefit Calculator: a tech tool aimed at helping employers to assess the return on investment of hiring mature workers as compared to other talent pools, emphasising adjacent skills and lived experience, in alignment with the coming shift toward skills-based hiring

Testing and Next Steps

This first sprint provided valuable insights and learnings in a complex and quickly changing environment. Following the first-round pitch, the Innovation Foundation Board decided that further research was needed-especially regarding employer pain points and UK-specific labour market trends, before continuing to build prototypes. The original Venture Team was wound down and the project was pulled back in-house for further research and re-scoping. The in-house team delved back into needs-finding with employers, job centres, and recruiters to complement the earlier focus on job-seekers. This additional information will provide a more holistic foundation for a new round of ideation. The journey continues, with the aim of building a solution that meaningfully bridges the gap between mature talent and labour market needs.

As longevity reshapes the workforce, the Mature Workers project seeks not only to react to demographic change-but to embrace it, designing a future of work that values experience, adaptability, and inclusion.

* World Health Organization

Mature Workers - Tony's Story	Mature Workers - Graham's Story
Mature Workers - Andy's Story	Mature Workers Working Group