Business Daily – "Keeping Chile's Older Workers... working"

BBC World Service
Host: Jane Chambers
Date: September 29, 2025

Overview

This episode explores how Chile, a country with one of the fastest-aging populations in South America, is navigating the challenges and opportunities of keeping older workers employed. Host Jane Chambers visits Santiago to speak with older employees, progressive employers, recruiters, HR professionals, nonprofit leaders, entrepreneurs, and gerontology experts. The discussion covers ageism in the labor market, the economic and societal need to retain senior talent, and innovative efforts to change company practices and public policy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Chile’s Aging Population: The Challenge

• By 2050, a third of Chile’s population will be over 60 ([01:37]).
• Traditional retirement ages—65 for men, 60 for women—leave many without sufficient pensions, pushing older adults to keep seeking work ([02:56]).

Jane Chambers:
"Businesses need to change their ageist mindset." ([01:37])

Alejandra Dietrich (café worker, 68):
"It's hard for older people to find work here in Chile. They always want to employ younger people who've just finished university and we get left behind... our pensions aren't enough for us to live on, so we need to carry on working." ([01:19])

Success Stories: Proactive Employers

• At Café Figo, only women over 50 are employed. The owner believes older workers bring experience, energy, and form a supportive family-like team ([03:32]).

Carolina Belloglio (employer):
"I've had the personal experience of leaving the job market when I was over 50 and it was hard to find employment. I only employ women over 50 years old, and we are like a family... It's such a waste to lose all those skills." ([03:32])

• Dietrich, the 68-year-old employee, finds fulfillment and purpose at her job, despite never having worked in a café before ([03:10]).

Shifting Trends in Recruitment

• The age barrier in executive search is slowly moving: once, even 50-year-olds were considered "too old" for senior positions, but companies are now more open to hiring experienced candidates near or beyond 60 ([04:52]).

Mario Mora (headhunter):
"Twenty years ago, for all the senior positions, they were looking for people in the 40s, early 40s... Nowadays, we have perceived a clear change in this trend... today in senior positions, we can work with candidates that are over 50, 55, 58, even 60 years old." ([04:52])

• However, returning to corporate life after entrepreneurial ventures remains difficult due to Chile’s conservative business culture and views on failure ([06:34]).

Mario Mora:
"When you go into your own business and you don't do well, there is a trend to perceive you as a... that you lose. You see, these failures... are not considered very well [here]." ([06:34])

Ageism in Established Industries

• Security firm Securitas faces client resistance to hiring workers over 50-55, citing health concerns ([07:51]).
• HR lead Marcela Pumarino is working to change perceptions by demonstrating the capabilities and reliability of older employees ([08:13]).

Marcela Pumarino (Securitas Chile):
"There's a lot of skills [elder people] can contribute and I would like a mindset shift... It's not age [that is] the most important thing in the interview, you have to find out the skills, the experience and what that person can contribute." ([08:13])

On challenging clients' age bias:
"In the requirement they prefer somebody younger. But we introduce and we present somebody with the same skills... they can shift that idea that they have." ([09:03])

Promoting Broader Change: The Talenton Initiative

• Non-profit Talenton brings together professionals 50+ to work with companies and lobby for improved labor policies ([12:18]).
• Aims: influence public policy toward flexible work, share best practices, fight ageist stereotypes, and demonstrate the economic, social, and health benefits of senior employment ([12:18], [13:36]).

Alejandra Perez (Talenton President):
"It has a great, a huge impact in economy and public policy... The more you maintain yourself active, the less you get ill... purpose is really, really a drive." ([13:36])

Intergenerational Companies & the Value of Experience

• Marcus Scheier, a German executive who founded Ganesha Lab in Chile at age 55, emphasizes the value of mixing generations in business ([16:21]).
• Prepares younger leaders for succession; combines youthful energy with experience for sustained innovation ([16:21]).

Marcus Scheier (Ganesha Lab):
"When I built my own company, that was one of my goals: to always have different generations playing with each other, working with each other... For me, this question about vision of long term, if you want to do that right, you need to think about the generational best practices in the company." ([16:21], [17:55])

The Need for Legal and Cultural Change

• Rosita Kornfeld, a pioneering gerontologist, stresses that both public policies and business culture must shift ([18:47]).
• Advocates for flexible hours, semi-retirement options, and more recognition of older workers' skills ([18:47], [19:39]).

Rosita Kornfeld (academic):
"The state and companies are going to have to recruit more old people because of the aging population. They don't have an alternative... For me, there are three key issues: politicians need to be engaged, Chile needs to stop being ageist and start to employ older people, and there needs to be more flexibility." ([18:47])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "We still want to work and not be left at home with nothing to do."
  – Alejandra Dietrich, café worker ([01:19])

• "We are like a family… It's such a waste to lose all those skills."
  – Carolina Belloglio, employer ([03:32])

• "Failures... are not considered very well here."
  – Mario Mora, recruiter ([06:34])

• "You have to assess somehow the client and tell them to meet the person and to make a test. So don't just say no because of the age."
  – Marcela Pumarino, Securitas HR ([09:03])

• "Purpose is really, really a drive. Being happy for being healthy and for feeling that you are productive."
  – Alejandra Perez, Talenton ([13:36])

• "If you want to do [long-term vision] right, you need to think about the generational best practices in the company."
  – Marcus Scheier, Ganesha Lab ([17:55])

• "This is a cultural change where the state, civil society, older people and businesses all have to be involved. This is a change which everyone in the country needs to take seriously and play their part."
  – Rosita Kornfeld ([19:45])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:19 – Older workers’ struggles and lack of pension security in Chile
• 03:32 – Café Figo: Employing women over 50; "family" work atmosphere
• 04:52 – Mario Mora on evolving attitudes toward older professionals in executive recruitment
• 07:51 – Securitas Chile: Age bias in the security industry
• 12:18 – Alejandra Perez introduces nonprofit Talenton’s advocacy and company initiatives
• 13:36 – The economic and social case for employing older people
• 15:31 – Marcus Scheier on founding a biotech firm at 55 and integrating generations
• 18:11 – Rosita Kornfeld: policy changes, flexible working, and fighting stereotypes
• 19:45 – The call for cultural transformation across all of Chile

Tone & Language

• The episode is factual, practical, and empathetic.
• Voices of older workers and progressive leaders are highlighted, with positivity about change but realism about the scope of challenges.
• Much discussion is framed conversationally, bringing across personal experiences and opinions in an accessible way.

Conclusion

The episode paints a nuanced picture of Chile's urgent need to adapt to an aging workforce. It showcases forward-thinking employers, insights from recruitment and nonprofit leaders, and the lived experiences of older workers. Despite pockets of progress, the challenge remains significant, requiring collaboration between state, business, and society to complete the cultural and structural shift towards inclusive, age-diverse employment.