Age discrimination is an unfortunate reality for many people looking for work in California and around the country. The people who are most impacted by it are the oldest and youngest job candidates. Both the baby boomer generation and Generation Z members face hiring discrimination for different age-related reasons.
Employers view Gen Z as inexperienced
The youngest job candidates often haven’t completed college yet and don’t have a lot of experience or training to fill their resumes with. However, when employers view all 20-year-old people in the same light, they may be discriminating against qualified job candidates. As a result, a young job candidate who does have the skills for the job may lose out on job opportunities due to age discrimination.
Baby boomers are viewed as out-of-touch
According to surveys, the older people get, the more concerned they become about age-related hiring discrimination. Employers may discriminate against older job applicants because they believe that baby boomers lack an understanding of modern technology and culture.
Research has proven age discrimination exists
Researchers from Tulane University conducted a study where they applied for around 13,000 jobs across 12 cities using more than 40,000 resumes. The resumes were crafted to indicate younger, middle-aged and older job seekers with the same skills. The results of the study found that older job applicants received the fewest responses.
Some age discrimination is illegal
There are currently no protections against age discrimination involving younger job applicants. However, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 protects job seekers age 40 and up. If you are in that demographic and you believe that you were a victim of age discrimination, you may want to talk to a lawyer about filing a complaint.
