Employers can gain substantially from employing older workers, as they bring experience to roles, it has been suggested.

According to Paul Green of UK over-50s organization Saga, such members of staff bring with them flexibility and reliability, in addition to their knowledge of life and work.

He also pointed out that having older employers can "provide a balance in the workplace", adding: "Experience is something that you can't just buy off the shelf. It has to be acquired through time and through living life."

Mr Green stated that older people should embrace the skills they have acquired as labor market conditions remain difficult.

The spokesman's comments come after a recent study suggested older people use their brains in a more efficient way than younger workers and tend to get less stressed when they make mistakes.

According to the researchers from the University Geriatrics Institute of Montreal, their study of over-55s and workers between 18 and 35 contradicts popularly held beliefs about older people's brains deteriorating, affecting their ability to make reasoned decisions.

Posted by Alex Donnell