Back to the overview
The Demographic Fitness Survey is an annual study conducted by the Adecco Institute to evaluate how companies are preparing for the impact of demographic changes in the population. Interviews were conducted with HR decision makers in 502 Belgian companies to discern their practices in the areas of Career Management, Lifelong Learning, Knowledge Management, Health Management and Diversity Management. Our Demographic Fitness Index (DFX) assigns each firm a score, on an index of 100-400 points, based on their performance in each of these areas. From specific company scores, we derive a country-wide score. Belgian firms scored 182 points out of a possible score of 400 in the 2008 Demographic Fitness Survey, just behind Germany and the UK (186 each) and The Netherlands (183), on par with of Italy (182), and ahead of Spain (180) and France (174) and Switzerland (172):
| Country |
DFX Score |
| UK |
186 |
| Germany |
186 |
| The Netherlands |
183 |
| Belgium |
182 |
| Italy |
182 |
| Spain |
180 |
| France |
174 |
| Switzerland |
172 |
These scores, in general, indicate that companies have significant work to do to increase their ability to attract and retain workers in an era characterised by a shrinking pool of young people entering the workforce, and a growing pool of older workers. In this white paper, we present a detailed analysis of the Belgian survey results. In general, the results indicate that the challenges associated with demographic change remain largely unaddressed in Belgian companies, despite the growing difficulties Belgian firms are experiencing in finding qualified talent to fill job openings. More than half (51%) of Belgian companies report having difficulty finding people with the right technical skills, and 42% can’t find adequate language skills in the labour force. In the Adecco Global Satisfaction Survey, conducted in July, 2008, 58% of Belgian employers identified “Finding Staff” as their biggest obstacle to growth in the next five years – higher than any other country polled.
Belgian firms are already feeling the impact of skills shortages – a situation that is only set to worsen as older employees depart the labour force and fewer young employees emerge to replace them. This trend is a dramatic change from what Belgium (and indeed, most nations) have come to expect. Generally speaking, companies have grown accustomed to forfeiting older talent and replacing them with a healthy stream of young, energetic workers keen to enter the workforce and make their mark. Longer lifespans, coupled with years of low fertility rates has resulted in a lopsided workforce distribution, where the only growing segment is that of workers aged 50+. For the foreseeable, this is the situation to which companies must adapt. Belgian companies have been particularly slow to recognize this reality. In the Adecco Global Satisfaction Survey, 74% of all firms indicated that aging workforce is not an issue for their firm. Yet, the DFX results tell us that 42% of Belgian companies have done no analysis to determine the age structure of their workforce. Conducting this analysis is the first critical step that companies need to take to determine how workforce aging will impact them in their particular circumstances. Large companies are starting to assess the situation: 45% report that they have conducted a full and complete analysis of their internal age structure. However, only 28% of these firms have taken this analysis down the department level. Every Belgian company needs to look at their own situation and evaluate how aging will impact their firm. Only by conducting such an analysis can firms take appropriate steps to ensure that they are prepared to replace talent as it exits the workforce, and continue to maintain and develop their competitive advantage.
The issue of population aging is real. In less than ten years’ time, people over 40 will, for the first time in history, form the demographic majority in Europe. In Italy, people over 35 will comprise 65% of the population in 2010.1 More people are leaving the workforce than entering it. In order to combat the impact of a shrinking workforce, companies must proactively address the issue of workforce retention. Every employee who leaves a firm, at any stage of their career, drains much needed expertise from the firm. Proactive companies will recognize this threat and act today to put policies and practices in place to retain workers and encourage them to continue to contribute throughout their working life.
Download entire study
English
Back to the overview