Whether you need to fill a full-time position or are looking for part-time staff, the goal is to always hire the best candidate for the job. But there’s one type of worker that's often overlooked. One who brings plenty of experience to the table along with a stellar set of skills. Say "hello" to your next major hiring cohort: retirees.

Let's be honest — when it comes to hiring, retirees aren't always top of mind. As of March 2022, 3.2% of retirees have returned to work after at least a year of retirement. However, that number is significantly higher than the 2.5% of retirees who returned to work as of October 2021. Meaning, more of these “unretirees” are coming back to the workforce.

And there's a case to be made for hiring retirees, especially as businesses are struggling to find workers. In a survey of retired workers, 34% said they would consider coming back to the workforce to take advantage of the benefits offered by employers because of job shortages. Finding experienced employees — quickly — has never been so vital, and hiring retirees is a good way to supplement your staff.

So, how can hiring retirees benefit your small business? Here are a few ways in which retirees shine:

They have years of experience.

Once-retired employees have been around the block a few times — and then some. They possess a huge amount of industry knowledge that can help resolve issues and problems. Some that your current team probably hasn't faced yet. And all that experience culminates into a heft (and advantageous) skill set that's available to your company.

For example, if you hire a retiree who excelled in the advertising industry, they'll likely have a strong background in crafting great campaigns. And, their people skills are probably off the charts, given their years collaborating with other teams.

Or, let’s say you work in the customer service industry. If you have a retiree who once worked in banking, you might be wondering if they'll be a good fit. But chances are they will be — they still have plenty of experience in a customer-facing role. So keep in mind retirees’ potential breadth of skills, even if they were in a career that doesn't completely align with the role you need them for.

They're a great source for mentorship.

One big advantage of hiring retirees is their ability to pass on knowledge to the rest of the team. As previously mentioned, retirees come with an abundance of experience, making them a great resource for their co-workers.

If your business encourages and thrives on collaboration, then this mentorship might happen naturally. Simply putting retirees and younger employees on the same projects could facilitate this sharing of knowledge.

And you could also facilitate mentoring. Maybe one of your employees is eager to learn and develop their skills in their position. What better way to help facilitate their growth than to pair them with someone who has lived that experience.

They improve your team’s overall performance.

There’s a misconception that older workers are less productive, but research shows that just isn’t the case. In a systematic review of multiple research papers, they found that there was actually no difference in productivity between older and young workers.

In fact, some studies show that age diversity can actually improve the performance and productivity of your team. Which makes sense — when you bring together older, experienced workers and younger employees with strong skills and talent, it’s swipe-right match. Fostering their collaborative efforts can only help your business.

Essentially, retirees make for a great addition to any team. So, if your business is in a hiring bind, look to retirees to bring experience and mentorship to your team.