MHI Solutions Improving Supply Chain Performance
As labor shortages continue to challenge supply chains across the U.S., many companies are reevaluating long‑held hiring practices. With frontline positions in warehousing, distribution and manufacturing increasingly hard to fill, talent acquisition leaders are turning to a demographic long overlooked: mature workers.
These are individuals typically over the age of 50—many retired or semi‑retired—who bring deep experience, a strong work ethic and a stabilizing presence to operations. Tapping this labor pool could be a game‑changer for operations facing hiring challenges.
Experience Over Assumptions
“The traits that mature people bring to the workforce are maturity, stability, reliability and knowledge about warehousing and manufacturing practices,” James Bourke, an instructor and lecturer in supply chain management at City Colleges of Chicago, said. “This gives older workers the ability to need little or no training. They can start doing the job right away.”
Despite their strengths, mature workers have often been excluded from recruitment strategies due to stereotypes about physical limitations or a lack of technological savvy. But those assumptions are being challenged by new data and real‑world success stories.
Cathi Canfield, vice president of operations and talent experience at Employbridge—the largest industrial staffing firm in the U.S.—has witnessed this shift firsthand. Through Employbridge’s annual “Voice of the American Workforce” survey and its on‑the‑ground placements, she’s observed how older workers are not only willing to work but also thrive, especially when given flexibility.
“One of the biggest myths we’ve had to bust is that older workers don’t want to work at all,” said Canfield. “What we’ve actually found is that they want choice. They want a say in their schedule. They don’t want to work 50 hours a week with mandatory Saturday overtime, but they’re very willing to do consistent part‑time or flex work.”
Flexibility Is the Key
That shift toward part‑time and gig‑style roles has created unexpected alignment between older and younger workers, Canfield said.
“We’re seeing retirees come back for a few days a week—Monday and Tuesday shifts, for example,” she explained. “These workers bring calm, consistency and an incredible amount of institutional knowledge. And employers love them for it.”
One retired manufacturing supervisor Canfield described returned to a warehouse just two days a week to do pick‑packing. “He told me, ‘I was having trouble being at home all day. This gives me structure, and I still get to go fishing.’ The company was thrilled with his reliability and positive attitude,” she reported.
Further, employers facing erratic attendance on Monday mornings or early shifts have found older workers more than willing to fill those gaps. “They’re up at 4 a.m. anyway,” Canfield joked. “They walk in with a smile and energy that really lifts the environment. It’s a breath of fresh air.”
Peer Mentorship Without the Title
Beyond their reliability, mature workers offer soft skills that are harder to train—especially when it comes to mentorship and team culture.
“These folks have passed the ‘something to prove’ stage of their careers,” Canfield said. “They bring a calming effect. They’re willing to teach and coach younger workers, but not in a supervisory way. It’s more peer‑to‑peer: ‘Have you tried it this way?’ That makes a big difference.”
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