The most widely recognized involve age, gender, ethnicity, and education. Senior Lecturer. Unfortunately, that is not always the case in the workplace in Australia. A detail description of these characteristics provides insights into the nature of diversity in the workplace. Here are 3 reasons why age diversity in the workplace is so important: #1 – Age diversity improves performance and productivity. Data such as the 2016 Census of Population and Housing conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and industry reports tell us about the state of play of age in Australia. Owain Thomas. Author. By creating age-diverse project teams, you can leverage the unique strengths of each generation, while also encouraging team members to collaborate and build relationships with one another. McDonald’s has found that customers and employees are happier where there is a multi-generational workforce. Date published August 24, 2016. Age diversity: The benefits of older workers In many cultures, older people are revered and their experience and wisdom highly-valued. In the year ending 30 June 2019, the Australian working-age population increased by 1.3% (or 207,400 persons). Many Asian immigrants took the opportunity to make Australia their home as well. Its population is concentrated mainly in urban areas and is expected to exceed 28 million by 2030. Australia Urban Population Currently, 85.7 % of the population of Australia is urban (21,607,414 people in 2019) Unfortunately age is often all but forgotten among 92% of companies that actually do have diversity hiring strategies in place. Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia. McDonald’s shows business case for age diversity . Australia is the 52nd most populous country in the world and the most populous Oceanian country. Age. Australian Library and Information Association Galleries Libraries Archives Museums and Records Workforce Diversity Trend Report 2019 Publisher The Australian Library and Information Association, Canberra ACT, June 2019 www.alia.org.au ISBN 978-0-6482395-3-6 In contrast, the population of 15-64 year olds declined in the Northern Territory by 0.9%. ... “The age range of our people at McDonald’s now spans an incredible 75 years. His interests include top management teams, leadership, and diversity. Understanding the history of colonization and immigration in Australia helps to understand the … Dr. Peter Murray. Critical issues in managing age diversity in Australia. The population of Australia is estimated to be 25,779,800 as of 13 April 2021. Research shows that age diversity in the workplace can improve organizational performance. The ABS describes 'older workers' as those aged 45-64 years. The demography of Australia covers basic statistics, most populous cities, ethnicity and religion. From 1945 to 1960, 1.6 million people arrived. Corresponding Author. Industry can also have an affect on age discrimination 70% of IT workers report experiencing or noticing age discrimination at work. Studies also show that productivity in both older and younger workers is higher in companies with mixed-age work teams. Peter Murray (PhD) is a senior lecturer in business at Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW. Ethnic Diversity Today . Legislation is one approach to combating age discrimination (Drabsch 2004). The workforce is getting progressively older. For example: The median age of Australians is now 37 years. Managing diversity in Australian organisations, however, is generally viewed as a matter of legal compliance rather than one of strategic advantage (Bourke 2004). During this period, the working-age population in Victoria grew by 2.0%, higher than the national growth rate. 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