Rant

Age Discrimination and Unemployment Continues

Posted 7 months ago|5 comments|256 views

TAGS

Discrimination , Age , Unemployment , Bias , Underemployed

Written by

MBurnside

The unemployment rate continues to rise for older workers not unlike myself. I have recently found employment, but I like many of my fellow older workers now find ourselves underemployed. However, older workers still are one of the highest groups that are suffering the long-term unemployment with this economy and continued recession. The average duration of unemployment for job seekers aged 55 and over was 52.4 weeks, compared with 37.4 weeks for those younger. Unfortunately, age has become the very reason why many are still unemployed.

In this age and with this economy, it seems that age discrimination is tolerable in many workplaces and has only gotten worse. If you're a worker who is over 50, you see the problem everyday in this tough job market. This isn't something made up, and there is a way to prove it. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the number of age discrimination complaints filed has risen steadily. In 2006 there were 16,000 complaints filed. In 2010 there were over 23,000 complaints of age discrimination filed. However, proving age discrimination in court is very difficult. In 2009 the Supreme Court made a decision in "Gross v. FBL Financial Group." That decision handed down made proving age discrimination much more difficult than it is for race or gender bias. With that many older employees are reluctant to sue because proving it has gotten so much harder.

In this economy many companies to save money conduct a "reducing in force" layoff. The RIF when analyzed by demographics tend to see no relative bias when it comes to race or gender; however, age bias is definitely something that is seen prevalent. A couple of years ago I was part of a corporate takeover of one bank to another. Many who were not retained and therefore laid off were senior, middle and lower management, who all had many years with the bank.

Sometimes companies who do reduce their staff and layoff older employees see those who they think are near retirement and therefore are less guilt ridden about laying them off. They feel that the older worker has a financial cushion (which many do not). The mindset of many companies is that the older worker is the less productive worker and will cost them more in insure and lost time. The reality is that many older workers are very adaptable and that it is young women not older employees that cost more to insure because of pregnancy issues. Younger workers tend to take more time off from work than older workers and tend to get injured on the job more often than older workers.

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Altruist
Eugene, OR

7 months ago: Good Post. We old folk should be good for more than greeters at Home Depot.

I worked in engineering and most of the old guys came back as private contractors after they retired. As long as they worked less than 1/2 the year they wouldn't loose out on their retirement benefits. That worked great for all. The company would still be able to utilize all of the experience and expertise the old guys had built up, and the old guys would get a break with less stress and sometimes they could turn into snow birds and go south when the weather turned bad.

Age discrimination is a big problem as is sexism and discrimination because of looks, weight etc. People should be judged by their skill and expertise.

We need more union protection for them.

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sixholdens

7 months ago: It works this way: A young person must seek employment and will take a job an older person can pass on because the young person is still trying to earn enough money to pay the bills while an older person probably has money in the bank to pay bills with. Time earning $$$ vs goods purchased and paid for (including houses, cars, clothes) is more favorable for the older worker since they have had much more time to get ahead.

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sunny2

7 months ago: One way that is impressive to companies is to volunteer to close the gap in employment. It can be referred to as "consulting" because that is exactly what it becomes if it is the right choice of project. Usually, something you take on yourself, and it becomes a productive, such as, raising funds while offering up your time.
Large companies are not the safest way to go anymore. Smaller companies, if they can survive in these times, most likely will keep a person on. Then again, you are dealing with a smaller type of entiity where you don't get the benefits as in a large company. Any younger person that has a job presently, should save their money or try to invest it. I worked in a very large company and found women and men take advantage of the family medical leaves. The women come into the company in that condition, and of course hide it in the beginning, and soon after working the required accumulation of weeks, are out on leave. The men can do the same taking advantage of family leave staying home with the new born 12 weeks. This goes for adoption, too. It is a good thing. Clinton was the one who legistlated this program. People will still take advantage, and it cost the company a lot of money when they are out. I saw this thriving at one time.

Also, you mentioned Seniors saving and living on money they have in the bank. It doesn't sound feasible to me with the cost of living going higher, how can the Seniors live on what they have. The CPI has not gone up at all leaving people to live on what the state of the economy was in 2007 or 08. Even a small raise in their ss would have made a difference with the food costs and rental increases. That won't happen for a long time to come, especially if they are talking about getting rid of it.
It is good at least that people are out there making their voices heard. It was bound to happen where the younger generation feels the impact and wants to do something about it.

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UnemployedinMI
Allegan, MI

6 months ago: Yeah, this has gotten completely out of control. Michigan is especially suffering, because unemployment has gotten so high that no one has a job, and thus can't hire anyone else, even for yard work or plumbing or car repair...if you don't have a job, you can't hire anyone else, either! LA County is almost as bad, http://lacountyunemployment.com/unemploy... , with double-digit unemployment, too, and we're not even talking about illegal aliens. We're talking about native-born citizens who can't get jobs, and are often discriminated against by employers. They really only want to hire people who have jobs already (and by doing that, we're not improving the employment rate at at all!) Seniors, too, keep entering the market, and which I realize that they need more money because their investments aren't making what they used to, it does make it harder for young people without jobs - they are now competing for jobs against older folks who have had tons of experience and contacts in the work world. Sigh.

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sunny2

6 months ago: Yes, I think we have a real bad situation. Social security doesn't pay much to Seniors who worked all their lives. They used what they have to live on. Health care is a big issue with them. Medicare pays nothing. I heard a 90-year-old man had to go back to work to make money for food and pay shelter. I remember a long time there were jobs that were primarily for young peopleand now taken over by others coming from different countries. Now those jobs are still manned by outsiders. There is no place to go. I think we will have to start going back to bartering for goods and skills or communities that people make self sustained. I use to work in an area in NY that was really bad. I couldn't find work close to home. Many large cities were once thriving until they turned into something that looks like it was bombed. People moved out because of no work. I hope this doesn't continue because our cities and towns will fall. When it gets too bad, it becomes a difficult choice in what to do.

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