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April’s labour market data reinforced a pattern that is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. The UK workforce is tightening, not expanding, yet much of the policy and organisational response continues to assume an endlessly replenishing supply of talent. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the UK employment rate for people aged 16–64 stood at 75.0% in the period December 2025 to February 2026, slightly down on the year before. Economic inactivity remained at around 21%, representing over 9 million people not in work or actively seeking employment. Vacancies fell again in April to their lowest level since early 2021, intensifying competition for roles and reducing organisational flexibility. Taken together, these figures describe a labour market under structural pressure, not because skills are absent, but because participation and opportunity are increasingly misaligned with demographic reality. The Missing Age Dimension Despite constant reference to “skills shortages”, age remains curiously underexamined. [...]

The publication of the Keep Britain Working - March 2026 update marks an important moment. After a year of analysis, diagnosis and debate, the programme has shifted decisively into delivery mode, launching the Vanguard phase, developing the Healthy Working Lifecycle into an employer‑facing standard, and establishing the Workplace Health Intelligence Unit to build the evidence of what works. This move from strategy to action is welcome, it reflects recognition that tackling economic inactivity and workforce exit requires practical experimentation, employer leadership, and shared learning, not just policy intent. For those of us focused on the future of work, the question now is not whether to act, but how to ensure delivery succeeds. Retention, participation and longer working lives: the age dimension The core aims of Keep Britain Working are clear: supporting people to stay in work improving return‑to‑work outcomes increasing participation and retention, particularly where health is a barrier What [...]

This article draws on the findings of a new AD|F white paper exploring the structural challenges shaping today’s workforce and what organisations can do in response. The most important insight is this, the workforce is not broken - it is misaligned. Across organisations, the same patterns are emerging. Engagement is declining, retention remains fragile, and skills gaps persist despite significant investment in training and development. These issues are often treated as separate problems. However, when viewed together, they point to something more fundamental. They reflect a growing disconnect between how work is designed and how it is experienced. A pattern, not a coincidence Global data reinforces this shift. Employee engagement has declined in recent years, and a significant proportion of the workforce remains open to new opportunities. At the same time, organisations report ongoing difficulties in recruitment, development, and retention. These are not isolated fluctuations. They are consistent signals that [...]

This article explores how International Age Diversity Day 2026 challenges organisations to move beyond awareness and define what good looks like for age inclusion. Progress begins when organisations set a clear benchmark, and commit to improving against it. From awareness to measurable position On International Age Diversity Day 2026, the conversation around age inclusion takes a decisive step forward. This year’s theme, “Set Your Benchmark”, reflects a structural shift in how organisations are expected to engage with age diversity. For years, the focus has been on awareness. But awareness alone does not tell us how consistently age inclusion is embedded across an organisation...Benchmarking does. It enables organisations to move from intention to a measurable position, a clear, evidence-based understanding of how age inclusion operates in practice. Why benchmarking matters now The age agenda is accelerating, demographic change, longer working lives, and multigenerational teams are no longer future considerations, they are [...]

This article introduces the Age Inclusion Benchmark Diagnostic and explains how it helps organisations understand, measure and strengthen their approach to age inclusion across organisational systems. The Age Inclusion Benchmark provides a structured, evidence-based framework that enables organisations to move from awareness of age inclusion to measurable, strategic action. What is the Age Inclusion Benchmark? The Age Inclusion Benchmark is a structured diagnostic developed by the Age Diversity Forum to assess how age inclusion operates across key organisational systems. It evaluates performance across eight dimensions, including leadership, employee lifecycle, policy, procurement and workforce monitoring. Together, these dimensions provide a comprehensive view of how effectively an organisation supports a multigenerational workforce. The output is a benchmark score, a defined maturity position and a detailed insight report designed to support leadership discussion and decision-making. Why age inclusion needs to be measured Age diversity is increasingly recognised as a strategic factor in workforce [...]

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of everyday work. Generative AI tools can draft documents, analyse data, summarise research and support decision-making. Across industries, organisations are exploring how these technologies can increase productivity and improve efficiency. In parallel with these technological changes, another major shift is reshaping the labour market: the workforce is becoming more age diverse. Many organisations now employ people across four or even five generations. It is therefore not surprising that public debate often frames artificial intelligence as a generational issue. Younger workers are frequently portrayed as “digital natives” who will benefit from new technologies, while older workers are sometimes assumed to struggle to adapt. However, this narrative risks oversimplifying a more complex reality. Recent research suggests that the impact of AI depends less on generational differences and more on how work itself is structured. Artificial intelligence does not typically replace entire occupations. Instead, it changes how [...]

The age agenda is accelerating Demographic change, workforce sustainability and multigenerational leadership are no longer peripheral considerations, they are central to organisational resilience and long-term competitiveness. Yet many organisations still lack one thing...A structured, governance-level view of how age inclusion is actually embedded across their systems, leadership and culture. Today we launch the Age Inclusion Organisational Benchmark Diagnostic to address that gap. From Policy to Measurable Position Most organisations can point to inclusion commitments...Fewer can evidence how consistently age inclusion operates across governance, workforce processes and external engagement...The Benchmark provides that evidence. Built around eight critical dimensions of organisational practice, from Policy & Governance to Procurement, Monitoring and Equality & Diversity Integration, it delivers a clear maturity position grounded in structured scoring and expert interpretation. This is not a sentiment survey It is not a narrative review It is a defined, repeatable diagnostic framework The Insight Report: Where the Value [...]

Age discrimination is often discussed as though it affects all older people, or all younger people, in broadly similar ways. Yet emerging research continues to highlight an important truth: ageism does not operate in isolation. Its impact is shaped by gender, education, income, ethnicity, sector and labour market context. For organisations committed to age inclusion, this matters. Because if age bias is experienced unevenly, then solutions must be designed with equal care. From the Age Diversity Forum’s perspective, this is not about fragmenting the age agenda. It is about strengthening it through evidence. The layered experience of age bias Recent findings suggest that some groups, including women with lower levels of formal education, may experience higher exposure to age discrimination in employment settings. This does not mean that others are unaffected. It does mean that vulnerability is not uniform. Consider how age may intersect with: Gender expectations: Older women may [...]