The tech industry is big in California, and many people who work in it have reported a problem with age discrimination. As it turns out, age discrimination in the tech industry is a worldwide phenomenon that affects more than just Silicon Valley.
Australian IT workers experience age discrimination
ADP, a worldwide human resources and payroll firm, surveyed around 2,000 Australians about their experiences with workplace discrimination. According to the survey, the tech industry had some of the highest reports of age discrimination compared to other industries. Over one-third of the IT workers surveyed said that they had faced workplace discrimination, and unfair treatment based on age was the most common form of discrimination.
Both young and old can face age discrimination
The Australian study found that people of all ages reported that they had been treated unfairly at work. More than 38% of workers between the ages of 18 and 24 believed that they faced discrimination because of their age. The same survey found that 21% of workers over the age of 55 reported experiencing age discrimination.
In the U.S., prominent examples of age discrimination in the tech industry usually involve older workers. Google recently settled a class-action lawsuit for $11 million after around 200 job applicants over age 40 claimed that the company turned them down for employment because of their age. Over at Facebook, the average age of an employee is 29. Amazon’s employees have an average age of 30.
Compensation for age discrimination
Employment law in the U.S. protects workers over the age of 40 from unfair treatment in all aspects of employment. If you suspect that you didn’t land a job or a promotion because of your age, you may be able to pursue a claim for compensation.
