We’re inviting businesses to join an exciting new research project exploring how they can become more age-inclusive.
Building on insights from our five year Age at Work programme, our Age-Positive Workplaces project, in partnership with EPIC Futures NI and Ulster University, invites forward-thinking employers to become involved in a new and ground-breaking research initiative. Together, we’ll challenge outdated recruitment and retention practices and develop inclusive, effective strategies that work for all ages.
The goal is to drive systemic change in workplace culture and policy, ensuring that workers aged 50 plus are supported and valued.
About the project
Business in the Community is one of eleven organisations working collaboratively with EPIC Futures NI, a Local Policy Innovation Partnership, led by Ulster University and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Innovate UK, and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). EPIC Futures brings together academia, policymakers, business, community and voluntary sector to tackle challenges in the skills and employability landscape. This research project will explore how gap analysis and interactive training workshops can drive age-inclusive recruitment and retention.
What your business will gain by being involved
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- Practical age-inclusive strategies
- Organisational insights from self assessments
- Evidence-based training and workshops
- Support from Business in the Community and an Ulster University Behavioural Scientist
- Contribution to meaningful policy research
Why does this matter to businesses?
- There are 699,000 people aged 50+ in NI (36.8% of population) (DFE, 2021)
- The employment rate for 50-64s is nearly 20% lower than 25-49s (DWP,2024)
- 30% of the global workforce will be aged 50 or over by 2050 (World Economic Forum, 2024)
- During the same period, our working age population will also shrink by 30% across western countries (World Economic Forum, 2024)
Our approach to the research
We’ll adopt a systemic, practical approach with behavioural science foundations:
- Three employer workshops (online and in-person)
- Benchmarking via the Age Inclusive Business Review Tool
- Pre-post surveys, interviews, and pulse feedback
- Action-focused
- No cost to organisations for participation
Who can take part?
We are seeking representatives from a maximum of 20 Business in the Community member organisations (one person per organisation) working in NI, from a wide range of sectors, and working in roles such as HR, operations and D&I, or senior leaders who directly influence recruitment/retention.
