When a consulting firm recruits unemployed seniors

While unions and employers are invited to negotiate on the employment of seniors, companies are beginning to modify their behavior, out of will, pragmatism, or both at the same time. Example in the consulting environment.

In the consulting sector, we don’t have too many problems with the age pyramid. Young people are omnipresent, hired en masse, straight out of the major schools. At Eurogroup Consulting, for example, out of 400 employees, the average is 33 years old. Nothing surprising, then, except that recently, this strategy consulting firm fired its cuti. It is now recruiting senior beginners, employed or unemployed.

A change motivated by two events

Work on diversity convinced internally that it was necessary to broaden the profiles, without age discrimination, says general director Claudia Montero. At the same time, there were recruitment difficulties post-health crisis. Since then, turnover has been constant, employees stay on average for two years, compared to three or four previously. This served as a detonator.

Six seniors recruited since May

They are between 43 and 60 years old, most in their 50s. All were unemployed, some for almost two years. They have never worked in consulting, they come from human resources, business intelligence or the automobile industry.

The applications were selected by two associations, Apec and Forces Femmes. The only criteria required: fluent oral and written French, basic mastery of IT tools, skills linked to experience, and strong motivation. They were recruited after a one-week immersion test. Salary: 50,000 euros gross per year, the average salary for beginners.

Everyone was made aware internally

The intergenerational effect comes into play, says Antoine Dezalay Joly, HR director of Eurogroup consulting. Young people aged 24 serve as mentors or godfathers to these senior beginners in discovering the firm.

The seniors bring a form of serenity and perspective to these young people who are starting their professional careers. “It also makes the customers move, they change their posture, explains Claudia Montero, it’s a mirror of themselves, it challenges them.”

A new recruitment session will take place in the first quarter of 2024. The consulting firm is considering opening the process to non-executive seniors, factory foremen, for example.