Industry recruiter TMS has recognised something I have said for years, that we ‘oldies’ add significant value to the travel industry workforce.

TMS chief executive Andrew Chan said this week that the hospitality and travel industry landscape was dogged by “a renewed ‘war for talent’” and pointed employers towards Baby Boomers as one of the best available sources of candidates”.

Mr Chan said that organisations need to look to the Boomers as the tourism industry “struggle[s] to match the higher salaries and benefits readily available in other sectors”.

I can almost hear baby boomers shout, “YES!! AT LAST – SOMEONE HAS RECOGNISED THAT WE ARE WORTH EMPLOYING!”

I am sure many of my fellow ‘oldies’ have experienced frustration when applying for jobs, fearing the moment a recruitment consultant sees our resumes and works out that we are over 40, we will be deemed too old and ‘too experienced’ for a job, not even getting a look in.

How often do we hear: “You have had an amazing career” (emphasis on ‘had’); “I am afraid you are too experienced”; “You’re over qualified”; “With your experience you would be bored”?

Top marks for TMS and Mr Chan for recognising the employability and value of the boomers. 

Whether or not recruitment consultants will embrace this advice is yet to be seen, but perhaps the times they are a changing – I just hope we can live long enough to see these changes come to fruition!  Now, where did I put that zimmer frame?!

Industry Insider Commentary and Opinion by e-Travel Blackboard’s Special Correspondent John Alwyn-Jones