Despite a shortage of skilled workers, older employees still face challenges in the job market. However, some companies are proving that successful recruitment can extend beyond the age of 50. Here’s what it takes.
At 53, Andre Domke, who managed several branches of a major telecommunications company in Berlin, felt unappreciated in his job. Then, one evening while having dinner with his wife, he came across an ad on social media. The Berliner Volksbank was promoting its career-change program—a shift he had long been interested in.
Domke decided to enroll in the nine-month training program to become a Volksbank employee. Although he now earns less than in his previous job, he is much happier.
A fresh start instead of the sidelines?
Filling open positions will increasingly require older workers
According to the Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb), around 50% of workers aged 50 to 64 participated in further training, including retraining, in 2023. This is a significant increase from 1991, when the rate was just 23%. However, for most, career changes don’t go as smoothly as they did for Domke. Many companies lament the shortage of skilled workers, yet remain reluctant to consider applicants over 50.
Uwe Matthias Müller, chairman of the Bundesverband 50Plus, an organization advocating for the potential and interests of workers over 50, frequently hears from individuals in their fifties who have sent out hundreds of applications without receiving a response. “Recently, a 52-year-old woman called me after sending out over 150 applications, receiving only three direct rejections and no response from the others,” Müller recalls.
Müller is convinced that companies won’t be able to afford such an attitude for much longer. Already, nearly one in four employees is over 55, and about two million older workers in shortage occupations will retire over the next ten years. Companies looking to fill open positions will need to rely on older workers, along with their knowledge and commitment.
German banks, in particular, face enormous challenges. The most pressing issue for financial institutions is not rising interest rates or recession, but a lack of personnel. The average age of employees in German banks and savings banks is already over 47, and by 2030, most institutions will lose around 30% of their staff. With around 65,000 vacancies in finance and accounting reported in the first half of last year, the future looks bleak.
The Berliner Volksbank has recognized this as well. Traditional training for bank employees is no longer sufficient to fill all open positions. Since January, the company has been building its own specialists through a career-change program—regardless of age or previous qualifications.
Career-change program in the banking sector
However, when a training position is advertised in Germany, it rarely attracts applicants beyond the typical apprenticeship age. “At first, we had to figure out how to make it clear that everyone is welcome here and that a resume is secondary,” recalls Gabriele Kinast, head of recruiting. The bank’s ads emphasized that they were looking for people eager for a fresh start.
The bank imposed minimal requirements on potential candidates. “We wanted to keep the applicant pool as large as possible,” Kinast says. The only requirement was a basic affinity for technology.
Acceptance within the company was also crucial in candidate selection. Often, Kinast notes, potential candidates don’t find the position through traditional channels but through existing employees within the bank. “To keep these channels open, it must be clear to everyone that age does not affect the appreciation of our employees,” she explains. This works best when people of all ages and different generations work together under one roof.
The training follows the basic structure of traditional commercial training but is conducted in a fast-track format. School visits, oral and written exams, and internships in the branches are all condensed and tailored to the requirements of the branches and customer service. Unlike younger apprentices, older trainees don’t need to be taught the basics of banking, so nine months is enough to prepare them for their roles.
Appreciation is crucial
The program debuted in January and is now in its second round. Every four months, 12 to 15 people get the chance to start anew at Berliner Volksbank as Volksbank employees. “In the first round,” Kinast shares, “we had a colleague who had been with her previous employer for over 20 years and left everything behind.” Such a step, Kinast emphasizes, requires enormous courage. It’s different when a student starts an apprenticeship with their whole life ahead of them. Older workers are in the middle of their lives and have various obligations.
This is why it’s important that participants in the program are appropriately compensated from the start. “It was clear to us from the beginning that participants couldn’t be paid a trainee salary but should receive an entry-level salary that corresponds to their later position in the company,” Kinast says. This is essential for the retraining project to succeed.
For Andre Domke, salary played a secondary role in his decision to join Berliner Volksbank. What ultimately convinced him to make the switch was something money can’t buy: appreciation.
It’s never too late for dreams
Anke Hirsch, now 65, also took a leap into a new career about a decade ago. After nearly 25 years with the same employer, the then-55-year-old civil engineer joined Deutsche Bahn. She was supposed to retire a year ago, but when her supervisor asked if she wanted to stay on, she immediately agreed. Since then, she has worked as a senior expert.
At Deutsche Bahn, the term “senior expert” refers to experienced employees whose knowledge the company wants to retain even after they reach retirement age. Almost one in three Germans opts for “retirement at 63,” leaving the workforce early, often due to a lack of career prospects and projects. Deutsche Bahn aims to counteract this trend with its senior expert program.
Last year, the company hired nearly 1,400 new employees over 55—from career changers in marketing to bus drivers and train operators.
Kerstin Wagner, head of personnel recruitment at Deutsche Bahn, emphasizes, “Of course, technical knowledge is important, but motivation and passion for the job are just as crucial, regardless of age.”
As a senior expert, Anke Hirsch now spends three days a week training new employees in Deutsche Bahn’s IT and software department. She is also involved in the major Karlsruhe-Basel project, which involves constructing a new 200-kilometer railway line. “Neither at 56 nor now at 65 have I ever felt that my age mattered,” Hirsch reflects. On the contrary, she is recognized for her expertise. And now, she can even fulfill her greatest professional dream: building a tunnel.
