Title: Enterprises face the ageing demographic: some options to overcome demographic challenges in a multinational company

Authors: Anette Kuebler, Peter Mertens, Steve Russell, Robert E. Tevis

Addresses: Global Shared Services, Personnel Services – Placement, Grillparzerstrabe 6, D-81675 Muenchen, Germany. ' Corporate Technology Department, Siemens KK, Takanawa Park Tower, 3-20-14 Higashi-Gotanda, Shinagawa-Ku, Tokyo 141-8641, Japan. ' Knowledge Management, Siemens Corporate Research, 755 College Road East, Princeton, NJ 08540-6632, USA. ' Knowledge Management, Siemens Corporate Research, 755 College Road East, Princeton, NJ 08540-6632, USA

Abstract: Businesses worldwide are facing a tide of retiring workers whose experience and knowledge will be lost in the next several years. Each geographic region and industry has unique challenges. This paper reports on some threats, opportunities and a variety of current approaches which companies can take to examine the issue, and upon which to engage in strategic conversations within its business. It is hoped that, by beginning the discussion of the ramifications of the issue, some specific strategies and programmes can be developed to provide competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Keywords: ageing workforce; retirement; legal issues; workforce demographics; megatrends; pensions; mobility; healthcare; building technologies; human resources management; HRM; demographic change; multinational companies; MNCs.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHRDM.2009.023456

International Journal of Human Resources Development and Management, 2009 Vol.9 No.2/3, pp.275 - 293

Published online: 24 Feb 2009 *

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