Comeback of the elderly

Software manufacturers such as SAP partner Cormeta value the expertise and years of process experience that the 50+ generation brings to companies, resulting in a healthy mix of generations.

The shortage of skilled workers is often lamented in Germany: last year, the high-tech association Bitkom reported 43,000 vacancies in the IT sector alone. Until recently, university graduates made up the largest group of new entrants at 80 percent.

Manufacturers from the business software sector are now increasingly providing a change in strategy.

"Quality is often a question of the right ingredients"

says Holger Behrens, CEO of SAP Gold Partner Cormeta, which will increasingly focus on silver agers in the future.

"We value the potential of professional newcomers, but we are also increasingly looking for specialists with decades of professional experience, because experience has shown that they combine social skills with a high level of process experience - and ultimately our users and our younger generation of employees also benefit from this knowledge."

And the Cormeta board member knows what he is talking about, as many of his colleagues from the early years, like himself, now fall into this age group.

"Experienced employees make serious arguments and have a very good feel for our customers and their issues."

After all, according to statistics, over 40 percent of the population is over 50 years old.

Digitalization amplifies the effect

Cormeta offers industry software based on the SAP Business All-in-One solution. Increasing digitalization is leading to an increased demand for experienced specialists in this sector in particular. People far removed from Generation Y therefore have another chance to get their career off to a flying start.

"With our solutions, we want to generate the best possible competitive advantage for our customers. To do this, we need specialists with many years of experience who understand complex value-added processes and already have in-depth knowledge of business processes"

Behrens explains.