A new white paper predicts that upcoming dramatic shifts in workforce demographics will leave many companies with vacancies that will be difficult to fill with younger, less experienced workers.

Strategies for Engaging and Retaining Mature Workers, which is available from the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) says Baby Boomers will retire en masse over the next decade in industrialized countries.

The imperative for organizations faced with such an exodus in talent is to understand how best to retain and engage mature workers. Yet, relatively few organizations report developing strategies to prepare for these demographic shifts. This paper provides a review of current research on workforce aging relevant for engaging and retaining mature workers. Specific topics include job performance, age-related changes in abilities and motivation, and considerations for training. Strategies presented highlight the importance of developing organizational policies that engage—and benefit—workers of all ages.

This white paper is part of a series titled “The Science of HR,” created under a collaborative partnership between SIOP and SHRM to develop resources for HR practitioners that will further the use and understanding of evidence-based HR practices. These resources, available to both SIOP and SHRM members, are specifically intended to infuse the science of I-O psychology and other HR disciplines into management practices for daily use in the workplace.

The SHRM-SIOP Science of HR series provides practitioner-oriented reviews of evidence-based HR practices. These papers, written by leading researchers and practitioners in the field of I-O psychology and HR, make the science of evidence-based HR practices accessible to SIOP and SHRM members.

SIOP is continuously working to develop materials about topics that will be published and distributed by SHRM to its membership. For a full list of collaborative articles, visit the SHRM-SIOP page here.