New Zealand faces permanent labour shortages within five years because of a rapidly ageing population, says recruitment firm Drake.
Its report, The Age Chasm, says the 45-plus age group will account for 42 per cent of the workforce in 2011, up from 27 per cent in 1991.
General manager Gay Barton said employers would find it harder to maintain staffing levels within the 18- to 35-year-old band because of little or no growth in the size of that group of workers.
Older workers were being under-used due to "ageism" and policies that supported early retirement, she said.
The Labour Department says shortages are most severe in the construction industry, but more than 150 occupations are listed on the Immigration Service's official skills shortage list.
Ageing workforce creating shortages, says report
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