One of Canada's largest retailers has become proactive in recruiting older employees with launch of a new program targeting the over-50 labour market.

Following the lead of its parent company in the United States, Home Depot Canada has announced it plans to actively recruit new people over age 50 as it expands its operations.

"We're proud that this is a first of its kind in Canada," says Angie Goldsmith, the company's national staffing manager. "We are a very inclusive organization, so we are hoping that anyone-regardless of age, regardless of background-finds us a great place to work.

"Home Depot, with 117 stores across Canada, plans another 19outlets within the next year. It has partnered with Canada’s Association for the 50-Plus (CARP)in attracting older workers for jobs at all levels within the company, Goldsmith says. With the aging of the baby-boom population in Canada, a huge percentage of people over 50 are anxious to continue working."

It's gigantic, so we'd be doing ourselves a disservice to not include them and actively go out and recruit that group. Home Depot is doing it now, but who's to say that two to three years from now what companies are going to start doing things with the same objective." In fact that trend has already started.

The company, which already employs more than 23,000 people across Canada, plans to hire another 7,000 associates. While it is interested in staff at all levels, including human resources, logistics management, merchandising and marketing, the primary need will be for employment in customer service, Goldsmith acknowledges.

About 20 percent of the company's employment base is now overage 50. "We definitely will be looking at anybody from retired trades people who’ve been out in the field to management and other people. We also have to make sure that our wages are competitive and all those other things that go along with retaining...how do we hang onto these people once we get them?"

Companies must begin to offer greater flexibility in areas, such as hours of work, in order to accommodate workers over age 50,many of whom may not want to work full-time, she says."

This group excels at customer service and possesses leadership skills that will provide invaluable resources to our store managers and the associates on the floor," Home Depot President Annette Verschuren said in announcing the recruitment program.

Bernard Cormier, Vice-President of Human Resources for the company, says for many people over 50, finding a second career can be challenging. "We are excited to make this a little bit easier and just in time for our hiring season," he said. "The Home Depot sees this demographic as an experienced, highly dedicated workforce."