Perhaps more grey-haired workers (those over 50) in America than ever before are looking for a job. However, the task will not be easy for many of them, even though they often have a 30 and even a 40 year edge over younger workers in experience. The reason is not because they are bad workers. To the contrary, older workers, even with all of their age-related health conditions, are often much better and more loyal than younger workers.
As you will see, it’s because they are older and many workplaces in America don’t like that. You’ll gain more insights into this in this article.
Why Does Age Discrimination Still Exist in America?
Did you know that older workers cite age discrimination as an even bigger barrier to employment than AI? Close to 25% of older Americans want to do the job-hopping that Gen Zers and even Millennials are notorious for. Latino and African-American workers are among the most eager to change jobs. About ⅖ want a switch because they want a better paying job.
10% want better quality work. 9% want the opportunity to pad their pensions better. Many of these workers will face frustration in the form of repeated rejections from potential employers. The reason partly lies in the many stereotypes that employers believe about older workers. Many employers, if presented with a 50 year-old employee and a 25 year-old one, would readily choose the younger candidate.
They view older employees as the ‘old dog who you just can’t teach new tricks.’ Indeed, many employers (often wrongly) believe that older employees can’t adapt to new technologies as easily. Older employees also suffer from the old stereotype that they are less open to innovation and aren’t as creative.
Employers are often impressed by younger employees in interviews, perceiving them to be a better culture, company, and team fit. They may be sorely disappointed once these younger employees start working, and hence lay them off, sometimes almost immediately after hiring them.
Older Workers May Lack Relevant Experience
Sure, many older workers have over 30 years of experience. But the bulk of it may not be with digital devices, much less AI! Employers value relevant experience which will help make their employees more productive and bring them money. They don’t care if an employee has 40 years of experience in teaching, though teaching does cultivate many useful skills that can be applied to other jobs and functions.
Employers May Have to Adjust as the Workforce Continues to Age
The American population is only getting older. So, employers may have no choice but to hire older workers in the future.
