The workforce ageing challenge and employer response: a study of the Australian transport and logistics industry

ABSTRACT

Workforce ageing is a challenging phenomenon for many countries. Its impact, however, varies widely across economies, sectors, industries and occupations. This paper examines the ways in which employer attitudes and practices help sustain the workforce ageing problem at sector and industry levels. The underpinning study was developed in the context of the Australian Transport and Logistic (T&L) sector and involved Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) household census data analysis and key employer interviews. The analysis concludes that, while the T&L sector experienced higher levels of workforce ageing, relative to the broader Australian economy, employers exhibited surprising complacence and a dismissive attitude towards the potential implications. Although this observation was general, there were certain clear patterns influenced by firm size, type of industry and nature of work. For example, whereas larger firms tend to be more proactive in their workforce planning generally and workforce replenishment more specifically, smaller ones, which comprised the majority tended to externalise the problem or take a ‘wait and see’ approach. As one of very few studies that closely and specifically examines the workforce ageing phenomenon from the perspective of employer behaviour, it makes significant contribution to our understanding of how employer behaviour influences industry workforce ageing.

KEYWORDS:

• Ageing workforce
• workforce planning
• transport and logistics
• employer attitudes and behaviour

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Victor Oyaro Gekara

Victor Oyaro Gekara is Associate Professor at the School of Business IT and Logistics and a founding member of the Skills, Training and Industry Research Group at RMIT University, Australia. His research is broadly located in International Polictical Economy with a focus on the implications technological transformations for work, employment and workforce skills.

Prem Chhetri

Prem Chhetri is Professor of geo-logistics at RMIT University in Australia. He does his research in spatially integrated analytics and urban logistics with recent focus on port logistics, urban modelling, tourism potential mapping, skills and training, and the application of GIS and GPS in transport, infrastructure and logistics planning.

Darryn Snell

Darryn Snell is Associate Professor in the School of Management and a founding member of the Skills, Training and Industry Research Group at RMIT University, Australia. His research is broadly located in the Sociology of Work with a focus on industrial and regional transformation and the implications for employment and skills development.

Yin Huey Yeoh

Yin Huey Yeoh is a data analyst at IBISWorld in Melbourne Australia. She is a recent Higher Degree by Research student from the School of Economics Finance and Marketing at the College of Business at RMIT University, Australia. Her research interests lie in the area of micro-finance with a focus on their role in developing economies.