Ageism within?

A shortage of workers in the coming decades will be a global phenomenon. In Japan, which has one of the oldest populations, companies are being given incentives by the government to extend retirement age to 70. Last fall, we attended a presentation of the AARP/Towers Perrin report The Business Case for Workers Age 50+: Planning for Tomorrow’s Talent Needs in Today’s Competitive Environment. As negative stereotypes begin to erode, says the report, older workers will be sought after for their “experience, loyalty, perseverance, work habits and emotional maturity.” AARP projects that by by 2010, almost one in three workers in the U.S. will be 50 or older.

It appears that economic necessity could do for older workers what legislation — the Age Discrimination Act of 1967 — has only partly accomplished. Could we be seeing the last of subtle manifestations of age bias, e.g. the contention that executives 50 and older take twice as long to land a new job as their younger colleagues?

We believe so. Yet our optimism took a hit this week when a human resources executive friend suggested that mature workers feel compelled to cut years from their work experience to appear younger because it improves their chances of being hired.

Ageism begins at home. Stamp it out! Here are some useful ideas:
http://www.experienceworks.ca/pdf/Employee_kit.pdf

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