Retirement at 70 – but who will hire the over-50s? K50Plus publishes research and launches a free platform for experienced professionals

K50Plus, a new free platform connecting experienced professionals with employers, has published an international research-based report calling for changes to recruitment and retraining. Artificial intelligence could make decades of professional experience more valuable than ever. The K50Plus team also includes people who helped build the success of Finnish growth company Swappie.

The K50Plus report, The New Value of Experience in the Age of AI, examines the position of people over 50 in Finland’s labour market and presents practical approaches from 12 comparison countries.

Its central conclusion is that Finland has been far more successful in extending the careers of people already in work than in helping those who have lost their jobs find new employment. The report on employment among experienced workers was produced for K50Plus by Kasvuinstituutti.

Age discrimination in recruitment is a documented problem in Finland. In a 2024 survey by the Finnish Business School Graduates (Suomen Ekonomit), 88 per cent of unemployed respondents over 55 said they had experienced age discrimination when applying for jobs. A Swedish field experiment by IFAU found that employers’ responses to otherwise equally qualified applicants began to decline markedly from around the age of 40.

Finland’s ageing population and the prospect of a higher retirement age make finding solutions increasingly urgent.

“If society expects people to work until they are almost 70, it must also create a labour market in which hiring someone over 60 is normal and finding another job is a realistic prospect,” the newly published K50Plus report concludes.

The report proposes 11 structural reforms, including action against age discrimination in recruitment, skills-based job matching, forward-looking career planning, and permanently funded retraining. It draws on Sweden’s transition support, Singapore’s skills-development schemes and France’s competency-based recruitment methods.

AI could increase the value of experienced workers

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the labour market. It is automating tasks and reducing demand for labour in some occupations, while opening up new opportunities for experienced workers.

In many jobs, using generative AI requires no programming skills. What matters is being able to identify the right problems, judge whether the output is reliable and understand an industry’s practices, customers and risks. Long professional experience can strengthen these abilities.

“We want employers to recognise the real market value of professionals over 50. Skills can and should be updated, but decades of experience and the understanding that comes with them should not be underestimated. Research shows that this is precisely what happens in Finland,” says Anton Eloranta, who leads the K50Plus start-up. An entrepreneur in the recruitment sector, he helped build Swappie’s success and chairs Connexa Oy, the company behind K50Plus.

According to OECD research published in 2025, only around a third of 60–65-year-olds participated in adult education in 2023, compared with more than half of 25–44-year-olds. Keeping skills up to date therefore also requires investment by employers and public support.

K50Plus argues that investment in training and recruitment should focus on developing skills before people face unemployment. Those who lose their jobs need immediate support to find new work.

“For Finland’s economic growth, it is vital that businesses make the fullest possible use of the skills of different generations. That includes the professional and life experience accumulated by people over 50. A large proportion of customers and consumers also belong to that age group, internationally as well as in Finland,” Eloranta points out.

K50Plus.fi opens a new route to work for experienced professionals

Connexa, a new Finnish startup company, has launched K50Plus.fi, a platform connecting experienced professionals with employers and clients.

The website allows jobseekers over 50 to register, alongside self-employed professionals and micro-entrepreneurs offering their services. Registration is free for both groups.

K50Plus is developing the platform in stages and plans to expand its offering to include services that help people update their skills and navigate the labour market. The website also publishes regularly updated information on employment among the over-50s around the world.

“We are keen to work with businesses, training providers and other organisations that share our goal of improving the position of experienced professionals in the labour market,” Eloranta says.

K50Plus also aims to encourage wider change in Finnish working life. Businesses, municipalities, central government, education providers and employees themselves all have a role in developing skills and keeping experienced people in the workforce.

The report argues that the next government programme should address re-employment among people over 50 as a distinct labour-market policy priority, particularly if the retirement age is raised further.

International growth-company experience on the founding team

K50Plus has a five-strong team with experience in international business, software development, product development, finance and strategic communications. Two members previously worked at Finnish growth company Swappie.

Anton Eloranta is an experienced commercial leader and B2B sales professional with more than eight years’ experience in international corporate sales, opening new markets and growing businesses. He previously worked at Swappie.

Veli Eloranta is a serial entrepreneur and business executive specialising in product development, change management and data-driven business development.

Jan Erola is a strategic communications specialist with extensive experience of stock-market listings, start-ups and growth companies, media relations, public affairs and reputation management.

Henri Huuskonen is a software developer and entrepreneur with a decade of experience in digital platforms, e-commerce, logistics systems and mobile applications. He also has a background at Swappie.

Carl Krause is an experienced entrepreneur and business developer whose expertise includes finance, international business, property, retail and manufacturing.

• K50Plus Raportti – Kokemuksen uusi arvo tekoälyn aikakaudella: Miten Suomi voisi muuttaa 50+ työvoiman uudelleentyöllistymisen ongelman taloudelliseksi mahdollisuudeksi? (Kasvuinstituutti / K50Plus, lokakuu 2026).pdf