Age bias in IT

Most high-tech employers, in fact most employers in general would most probably deny that age discrimination is an issue at their company. However in the IT industry, workers over the age of 50 beg to differ, saying they have experienced age bias or at least know someone who has. 

This bias can take several forms, salaries might stagnate, they might have fewer or no opportunities for advancement, they might not be included in training and professional development programs. And they could be the first to be laid off and the last to be hired. 

According to recent U.S. government data, unemployment rates for older IT professionals increased faster than they did for younger tech workers since the recession began three years ago.

Age bias is a simplistic label for what is a complicated set of factors and issues that influence job prospects for senior employees for every industry. When considering workers over the age of 50, employers have to take the following factors into consideration: 

• ·         Both the relevance and currency of skills.
• ·         The level of wage expected, which is typically higher than the salaries younger people seek.
• ·         Behaviours and attitudes, which could become narrow-minded with age.
• ·         Energy level, which is presumed to be less than that of a 25-year-old.

While these are generalisations and are not necessarily true for any particular candidate or employer, they are still is a stereotypical assumptions. 

The harsh reality is that when times are tight if you could have someone fresh out of education who is likely to by up to date with current technologies,  and pay them half the wage that someone of 45 years would expect, who would you hire?