EMPLOYERS in Kent are being encouraged to rethink employment policies or risk a recruitment drought.

As the UK celebrates Age Positive week, recruiters and business agencies say age-related prejudices are not only depriving Kent’s economy of a rich talent resource, but could also lead to unfilled vacancies.

Linda Bennett, information services manager at Business Link, said: "We are an ageing population. Currently 36 per cent of the UK workforce is 45 or over, by 2010 almost 40 per cent of the workforce will be over 45.

"Whether businesses like it or not, they are going to have to embrace the idea of employing older people. Statistically there is not going to be the younger population resources available to keep their businesses going."

With the Government set to introduce new age discrimination rules in October, businesses will be forced to revise staffing policies.

Under the legislation companies will no longer be able to use age as a deciding factor in recruitment, promotion or training decisions and employees will also be able to request the right to remain working after the age of 65.

Mike Richardson, MD of age positive job agency Kings Hill Recruitment thinks the legislation will have a positive impact for job seekers and employers in the county.

"It’s always a shame when something has to be legislated to make people comply, but employers do tend toward the 24 to 45 age group," said Mr Richardson.

"Most of the time recruiters don’t know why they want someone of a certain age, so we always ask the question: Why?"

The recruitment boss said when the agency did convince a client to look at someone outside of this age range, the results were usually successful.

"The good thing about the changes is that they will help Kent employers realise the pool of talent is larger than you think.

"Employers will have to look at people they wouldn’t have before and in our experience they are going to be pleasantly surprised."

Mr Richardson said Kent was home to many highly-qualified and experienced professionals who had worked in London or abroad, and following redundancies or other events were now back in the job market.

"We have people coming to us who say, 'I would like a job where I can help and share what I know'.

"People don’t realise Kent has a big retired and semi-retired resource that is willing to work, yet nobody wants because they are deemed over qualified."