Interview with Karin Reiter, SVP of Sustainability & ESG for the Adecco Group

Deloitte: The global population will age considerably over the coming decades. The UN forecasts that by 2050, the over-50 age group will expand by more than half to make up around one-third of the world’s population. What impact will this demographic change have on the HR services sector?

Karin Reiter: Demographic change is no longer a distant prospect; it is already a reality, in the labour market as elsewhere. Around the world, more people are leaving employment than are entering it. I think this means three things. First, labour market shortages are becoming structural, not cyclical, so companies will be increasingly dependent on flexible staffing solutions, new recruitment strategies, and active talent development. Second, senior talent is a core ele-ment of the working population, so there will be more use of employment models that combine experience with flexibility, such as project-based work, temporary assignments, and part-time working. And third, we need to work with companies to create age-friendly models of employment, training pathways and HR pro-cesses. The focus is shifting away from finding new talent and towards making use of the talent we already have, across all age groups.

Deloitte: In relation to social sustainability, one crucial challenge will be to ensure that access to the labour market for older workers is maintained and made easier. What measures has the Adecco Group taken to help achieve this?

Karin Reiter: At a global level at least, our efforts are still in the early stages, but we are trying to take a holistic approach to all aspects of this issue. As part of our global inclusion strategy, we are identifying and dismantling structural barri-ers at all stages of the talent journey, from posting vacancies via screening and matching to conditions of employment. A central plank of our approach is ongo-ing training for our recruiters in inclusive and non-discriminatory recruitment. And age is one of the characteristics we are addressing specifically.

At an individual country level, we are launching programmes tailored to local cir-cumstances and needs. Take Japan, for example: we are implementing Tokyo Career Trial 65, a programme commissioned by the Tokyo Job Foundation that supports motivated older people (65 and over) with temporary job placements, targeted training courses and coaching, and support for transition to permanent employment. We are also helping companies to build competences in dealing with senior talent and addressing skills shortages.

Programmes are being devised in other countries, too: Adecco UK, for example, has developed training to raise the awareness of employees and managers about cross-generational collaboration and help them effectively to work with and manage different age groups. Wherever possible and useful, we scale up similar approaches in other markets, always reflecting local conditions.

The Adecco Group also provides employers with practical resources to ensure that they recognise the value of older employees and make full use of the poten-tial they offer.

And the Adecco Group’s non-profit Foundation is developing innovative solutions to integrate underserved population groups into the labour market – including mature workers. Lessons learned are fed back to the Group wherever possi-ble.

Deloitte: A further challenge in the context of social sustainability is to ensure that old-er workers continue to upskill and reskill to protect their long-term employability. How is the Adecco Group supporting employees in this context?

Karin Reiter: Skills development is one of the most important ways workers of all ages can remain employable. In 2024, more than 800,000 people benefited from the Adecco Group’s extensive upskilling and reskilling measures, which range from basic digital skills to specialist training and workplace-specific skills.

We think it is particularly important to set a low bar for access, including for those who have been out of education and training for many years or who are anxious about digital learning formats. That’s why we combine online learning with coaching, support, and practice-oriented learning.

Deloitte: The sheer variety of courses, skills and qualifications on offer now can be overwhelming. How is the Adecco Group helping and supporting individuals to design their own training pathways, particularly in the final phase of their working life?

Karin Reiter: Our research confirms the crucial importance of career guidance. Our LHH brand plays a crucial part in supporting employees making a career transition through advice, skills analysis, coaching, and targeted continuing training.

We have also partnered with Microsoft to launch a global initiative to make basic AI skills widely accessible free of charge. We are developing age-friendly learn-ing journeys in this area, so that older workers have access to the skills of to-morrow.

Deloitte: When it comes to environmental sustainability, many companies now have comprehensive climate strategies with ambitious targets. What part is played by up-skilling and reskilling for older workers in achieving climate targets?

Karin Reiter: Many businesses now have ambitious climate strategies, but there is often no clear link between their climate strategy and their HR and skills strat-egy. Yet all the analysis – including our ‘Skills for the Green Economy’ white paper – shows that successful climate transformation must be based on a tar-geted approach to skills development for employees. Meeting climate targets requires more than just technology and investment: success stands or falls on the skills of individuals. And older workers in particular are central to this suc-cess, as they often have many years’ experience of operational processes, which are particularly affected by environmental transformation.

Companies cannot simply wait to respond to transitions that happen. They need to take a systematic approach to identifying future skills requirements, put re-skilling and reemployment programmes in place, and actively support staff in moving into new roles, especially those who have long service with their compa-ny. Without targeted support and skills development to avoid a skills mismatch and declining productivity, climate strategies will remain a patchwork or simply won’t deliver.

Transparent communications and mutual trust are crucial here. Companies need to be open about the skills they will need in future, the risks they face, and what they can offer by way of upskilling and reskilling. Transparency in these ar-eas will boost employees’ commitment, loyalty, and willingness to embark on something new.

Against this backdrop, continuing to train older workers is not only a social ne-cessity, but also a strategic success factor in tackling climate change.