{"id":6751,"date":"2026-03-31T16:34:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T16:34:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/backtoworkconnect.ie\/careerhub\/?p=6751"},"modified":"2026-03-25T17:29:59","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T17:29:59","slug":"the-returner-pool-unlocking-hidden-talent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/backtoworkconnect.ie\/careerhub\/the-returner-pool-unlocking-hidden-talent\/","title":{"rendered":"The Returner Pool"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Talent We\u2019re Still Overlooking <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We hear it constantly from organisations:\u201cWe can\u2019t find the right talent.\u201d<\/em> And yet, every day, we meet people who prove the opposite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Back to Work Connect<\/a>, we work closely with returners \u2014 individuals coming back into the workforce after a career break. And what\u2019s striking isn\u2019t a lack of capability. It\u2019s the opposite. These are people who are skilled, experienced, motivated, and ambitious<\/strong>. People who want to contribute, grow, and add real value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So the question isn\u2019t where is the talent?<\/em> It\u2019s why aren\u2019t we seeing it?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scale of the opportunity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Globally, there are 96 million skilled workers aged 30 to 54 currently on career breaks<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take a moment to sit with that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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96 million<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research commissioned by Vodafone in 2016 indicated that there are an estimated 96 million skilled women aged 30\u201354 on career breaks worldwide, with around 55 million of them having experience at mid-manager level or above.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s not a marginal group. That\u2019s a workforce and yet, most organisations are not set up to access it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The disconnect<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what we see time and time again: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Companies say they want experienced hires. They say they want diverse teams. They say they want to close skills gaps and build stronger leadership pipelines. But their hiring practices still filter out the very people who could help them do exactly that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udc49Career gaps are penalised.
\ud83d\udc49Linear CVs are prioritised.
\ud83d\udc49Confidence is mistaken for capability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result?
A huge pool of talent remains invisible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why this matters for business<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This isn\u2019t just a diversity conversation. It\u2019s a business one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When organisations become returner-friendly, the impact is immediate and tangible:<\/p>\n\n\n\n