Forties People

The study also said that 31% of organisations wanted to take on those already entitled to the state pension.

The report comes a few months before laws banning age discrimination come into force.

The CIPD's survey covered more than 800 employers in the public, private and voluntary sectors.

Adding value

"It is encouraging to see that so many organisations are introducing age diverse practices ahead of the new regulations in October," said the report's author Nicola Monson.

"This enables employers to tap into the relatively unused talent pool of older workers to overcome recruitment difficulties and help build an age diverse workforce that can add real value to business, not just in terms of older workers but all age groups."

The CIPD's report found that more than four in five employers were experiencing difficulties in recruiting staff, with skills shortages the main problem.