Never before have Finance Ministers been as worried about ageing as now. Skills shortages driven by demographic change have hit all sectors of the economy. As workforces are ageing and workers of all ages are calling for a better offer, we need to rethink work to create healthy workplaces, support skills and learning, champion diversity and bring about flexibility.

Over the last two years, we ran Work for tomorrow, supported by the Innovation Resource Center for HR. Our two year-programme – including a series of hybrid and online events, videos, blogs, engagement with businesses and policymakers across the world and an international innovation competition – highlighted that there are some great innovations out there.

But for too many, adapting to an ageing workforce is at best an afterthought. COVID-19 has forced employers and governments across the world to rethink and adapt quickly to change often long-engrained ways of working. But lasting change needs to extend beyond the pandemic. We need innovation and an honest evaluation of what fulfilling and meaningful work looks like.

Our work isn’t done here. We will continue to work with innovators, employers and experts in the field on how we can redesign the future of work to respond to the needs of an ageing workforce.

This short paper draws out the key learnings from our competition and practical advice for employers who want to respond to an ageing workforce but don’t know where to start.