Compared to many other OECD countries, Australia has fewer older workers in the workforce. Indeed there is often a 'deficit' view of our ageing population as a burden rather than recognising the potential of this under utilised talent pool. Mature-aged entrepreneurs, the fast growing segment of entrepreneurship in the country, are a great example of a strength-based view and we should be doing more to foster this form of workforce participation.

Mature-age professionals often prefer to move to part-time work either as they transition out of the workforce or when they want to start a new business. However, finding good quality part-time jobs that utilise the high level skills and experience of older professionals are rare. As holders of significant corporate knowledge, a lack of attention to this issue by employers seems short-sighted.

Kick starting a job search after a holiday break is never easy. To reinvigorate your search it may be necessary to have a plan and at the top of the list should be working your network

The proliferation of AI or machine learning technologies pose some real concerns for bias including age bias. This bias is often unconsciously built into algorithms. Diversity among people developing algorithms and also in those assessing them for bias are critical to overcoming this problem.

It can be difficult to make a career transition at any age but it is particularly daunting as a mature worker. At the same time, as people get older interests often change and the desire to do something more meaningful or make a different kind of contribution can motivate a move in a new direction. It's important to recognise that it is never too late to find work that you love as long as you are willing to put in the time and effort to understand your transferable skills and how they can benefit you in making a transition.

Mentoring programs and sponsorship, which aim to help people advance their careers or build a new business, are now commonplace. However, they are not without their pitfalls. That's why it's important to put in place some clear parametres.