Age Discrimination in the Workplace
June 3, 2008
Age discrimination in the workplace is something that an older colleague of mine is worried about. He is searching for a new job right now and believe this is a real concern. Is there any information you can provide on this subject? - Kelley in Albany, NY
I understand why your colleague has anxiety about age based discrimination. Even companies who are generally seen as being open-minded look at older workers as more of a liability than an asset. These companies are aware that people who are older possess more experience, are dependable and loyal while being able to provide excellent customer service.
Unfortunately, this older demographic does not have the technical knowledge or experience that the younger crowd does and therefore misses out on a lot of opportunity. As a result, companies tend to over look candidates who may have every qualification necessary as mentioned above. To top it off, many employers have this idea that older workers are going drive up healthcare costs for the company and wonder how long older hires will stay on the job.
Studies on age discrimination statistics show a correlation. One found that two-thirds of respondents age 45 to 74 experienced or witnessed age discrimination on the job. Another study examining hundreds of job applications found that those who were sent by younger people were more than 40 percent likely to result in an interview vs those the older applicants who applied.
This illustrates how difficult it is for someone looking for a job that relates to their experience. However, a strong emphasis needs to made during the interview that even though someone may be older, they are not set in stone to where they cannot learn new skill sets. If you can convince a potential employer that you can apply your knowledge and experience directly to their business for the next 5 - 10 years than this is definitely a significant contribution to their company and can even give you an edge on younger applicants.
To avoid age discrimination in the workplace, it becomes in everyone’s best interest, including my own to keep on top of the advances going on today and how they relate to your job now or an opportunity in the future.