When experience meets opportunity: How over 60s can be a workforce asset for businesses

Written by Sarah Mavius, Head of FDM Returners Programme

Professionals aged 50 and over now make up one third of the UK workforce and are the fastest growing generation in employment. Globally, approximately 150 million jobs will shift to workers aged 55 and older by the end of the decade. Yet despite this seismic change, fewer than 4% of firms have committed programmes to integrate older workers into their talent systems.  

At FDM, we see the value that decades of leadership, resilience, and lived experience bring to organisations. We see how quickly skills can be transferred, how adaptable professionals are when given the platform to show it, and how powerful it is when experience meets opportunity.  

Many of our consultants come to us following redundancy, career breaks, or major life transitions. Others arrive looking to redirect their expertise into emerging areas such as digital transformation, AI and data. What they share is a desire to contribute, to grow and to remain relevant in a market that often overlooks them.  

Experienced professionals in their 50s and 60s are retraining in AI to remain competitive in an evolving workforce, challenging the perception that AI is a young person’s game. Through our Returners Programme, senior professionals are gaining practical AI skills and returning to tech roles across major organisations. Combining AI capability with decades of business experience not only improves employability but also brings critical judgement, context and ethical oversight to the use of emerging technologies.

Reset after redundancy

For FDM Consultant Stuart Morris, the path to reinvention began after three decades of leading high-profile IT programmes across finance, retail, and pharmaceuticals. When he unexpectedly found himself back on the job market at 60+, he quickly discovered how age can influence opportunity.  

“Too senior, too experienced”, were patent responses he got from recruiters – code words for what he believes to be blatant ageism.

After nearly two years of job searching, he joined our Returners Programme in 2025.

Second innings

According to Stuart, “The FDM Returners Programme didn’t just offer me a job. It gave me a platform to be seen again. In a market where older professionals often feel invisible, that recognition mattered more than any title.”   

Today, Stuart works as an IT Programme Manager for a global law firm, delivering complex technology integrations and helping shape digital strategy. His approach to staying relevant? He kept certifications current, developed fresh delivery playbooks, and used consultancy engagements to stay hands-on with modern stacks and ways of working.

That combination, recent proof of practice plus live credentials, helped him cut through bias and land senior programme mandates after 60.   

Stuart is one among many senior professionals who have gone through our Returners Programme and found exciting new assignments across a diverse range of roles in data, project management, software development and more. Through dedicated upskilling and reskilling in our Skills Lab, they supplement their technical skills to match industry demand and also refresh their soft skills having had an extended time away from the workplace.

Today organisations stand at a unique crossroads. On one hand, they’re racing to adopt the latest tech. On the other, they’re struggling with an acute skills shortage needed to use this tech. The way forward is to build a talent pipeline that leverages the unique strengths of different generations. Whilst digital native graduates and Gen Zs have a natural aptitude for tech, senior professionals have a wealth of commercial experience that has positive outcomes for business productivity and success.

About the campaign

techUK’s TechTogether campaign, taking place throughout March, is a collection of activities highlighting the UK’s technology sector pursuit to shape a more equitable future. In 2026 we are exploring: Inclusive AI, investing in diverse founders and entrepreneurs, the power of allyship and mentorship, and empowering young people.