Chris Autry built, opened, and operated corporate call centers for nearly 30 years. His longest period of unemployment was his six months in 1989. That was until recently.
Autry, 64, lost her job last year when her company downsized and was unable to find another job after nine months of searching. He believes age discrimination may be a contributing factor.
He has applied for about 500 jobs, received a 12% response rate, and conducted dozens of interviews and follow-ups. I’ve had several interviews with CEOs and decision makers within the company, but I haven’t found a job yet.
“Everything is virtual these days. I find that I always get to the next level when the initial interview or selection is done over the phone. Video doesn’t take me to the next level,” Autry said. Told. “Maybe it’s unconscious bias that makes them see me as an older applicant.”
He said he has never felt any blatant ageism or anything to prove. In fact, it was more subtle.
In one interview, he said he was dressed appropriately, wearing a jacket and tie. The vice president of human resources asked him if he always dressed so formally.
“Maybe I came across as old-fashioned and stuffy and from a bygone era,” Autry says.
He said nothing about the comment and never filed a complaint about age discrimination because it was always very subtle, he said.
“I can’t prove in my head that this was age discrimination. Maybe there were better candidates,” he said. “I try not to give in to things like this.”
According to an AARP survey, 64% of adults age 50 and older in the workforce believe older workers face discrimination, and 9 in 10 experience age discrimination against older workers in the workplace. is considered to be common. More than one in 10 said they have missed out on a promotion or career advancement because of their age.
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Another job seeker, Randy G., who declined to give his last name, said he was laid off as a graphic designer at age 57 and hasn’t been able to find full-time work since. He is now 62 years old and has worked in various temporary and short-term assignments, but is still looking for permanent employment.
“I didn’t expect it to take more than a few weeks to find a job,” he says. “But it dragged on. I didn’t see it coming.”
After about a year of job hunting, he realized that age discrimination may have been a factor.
“Nothing specific happened. I’ve never heard anyone say ‘bad X’. “It felt like I was literally underwater,” he said.
AARP found that age discrimination against people 50 and older cost the economy $850 billion in 2018 in lost jobs, promotions, and missed opportunities.
To make it easier to prove age discrimination, a bipartisan group in Congress reintroduced a proposal in December called the Protecting Older Workers from Discrimination Act. The measure was first introduced in his 2009 year and multiple versions failed to pass.
The new House proposal aims to address the Supreme Court’s 2009 decision in Gross v. FBL Financial Services, Inc., which weakened protections against age discrimination under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. This decision set a higher bar for age discrimination than other types of discrimination, such as discrimination based on sex, race, or physical ability.
This Supreme Court decision required plaintiffs to prove age was the primary reason for the adverse employment action, which previously required plaintiffs to prove age was a motivating factor. This is a much higher standard than the regulations of
“More than a decade ago, the Supreme Court weakened protections for older workers by imposing an unfair burden of proof on age discrimination claims,” Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Virginia, said in a press release. ” he said.
The bill would “ultimately restore legal rights to older workers by ensuring that the burden of proof in age discrimination claims is treated like any other discrimination claim,” Scott said. he said.
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Despite potential age discrimination, the number of older workers is increasing and there are now five generations in the workforce.
According to the Pew Research Center, nearly one in five Americans over age 65 will be working for pay in 2023, nearly double the proportion of seniors who worked 35 years ago. There is.
This year, the U.S. is reaching “Peak 65,” a phenomenon in which approximately 12,000 people turn 65 every day.
Projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predict that the role of older workers will continue to expand over the next decade. The share of people over 65 in the labor force is projected to increase from 6.6% in 2022 to 8.6% in 2032.
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“Older workers want what all workers want: flexibility and balance, fulfillment and satisfaction. At the end of the day, everyone wants the same thing.” said Carly Roszkowski, AARP’s Vice President of Financial Resilience Programming.
Roszkowski said AARP has resources to help employees talk to their managers and human resources departments about potential age discrimination. AARP offers age-aware resume tips for those looking for work, including removing graduation dates and limiting experience to the most relevant and most recent 10 to 15 years. Masu.
Roszkowski said the advocacy group helps companies understand that a multigenerational workforce is better for productivity, innovation and profits. AARP also urges companies to include age in their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
And when a job applicant encounters age discrimination, documentation is key, Roszkowski said.
“This is the most difficult discrimination to prove,” she said. “This is the biggest barrier to returning to work or staying in work.”