CBS News video about age discrimination

This video should make everyone livid. These people are skilled but being bypassed. The one woman is 50 but unemployed 4 years! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWGiuoeFpVo

I am 40 but already dealing with age discrimination. I can imagine it's far worse for the 50+ set. Why employers would rather hire younger people is beyond me. I keep up with technology, I am a young 40, but most importantly I am a hard worker. I still get bypassed by entitled recent grads who often come to work drunk or late.

This is a HUGE problem and I dont see it going away any time soon.

I will soon be 58, I basically get no response to any of my job applications. It does not seem to matter if I am a near perfect fit or one that I am overqualified for, or a position that only requires a HS education (entry level). I GET NOTHING!
It will soon be 3 years unemployed.

I'm on Linked-In and one of my posts there I stated I will start exposing companies that do discriminate based on age. Sometimes though you can't tell though. One person there even stated at his former employer they routinely discard resumes of anyone older than 35.

It's the first time in my life I wish I was a different age, 15 years older I'd be retired 15 years younger better chance of getting a job. I just imagine when they look at my resume and see that I graduated from collage 30 years ago it gets tossed in the garbage can. It's so bad now that when I get a rejection letter it brightens up my day a little.

younger people put up with abuse better and are more fearful of a superior. Old people don't put up with that crap and challenge the abuse.

Unfortunately in this environment older people are dealing. The younger people I know are lazy and quit at the first sign of being annoying.

In many cases, a company wants a younger person because they are cheaper to insure than an older person. Heck, many 20-somethings don't even care if they have insurance or not. I think the high cost of healthcare can sometimes dictate the hiring policy.

I agree mamroz. We need them to start legislating insurance. Taxes and insurances are two things that really need a look-see from Washington.

In a non-interview capacity, I have had employers and HR people sit in on round table meetings and discuss hiring older people and the subsequent costs. (By older I mean in their 40's).

I always get a kick out of the idea that older people cost more. I guess the 20's who get STDS, get pregnant (intentionally or not), do drugs, is fine but healthy people like myself aren't. I'm not obese, I don't smoke, I workout and eat healthy, and do drugs and rarely drink. I may still have a baby or two at my age (I am 40)but even so, what about those in their 20's who become parents they have to pay for? It just disgusts me.

New_Wave_Princess wrote:I always get a kick out of the idea that older people cost more. I guess the 20's who get STDS, get pregnant (intentionally or not), do drugs, is fine but healthy people like myself aren't. I'm not obese, I don't smoke, I workout and eat healthy, and do drugs and rarely drink. I may still have a baby or two at my age (I am 40)but even so, what about those in their 20's who become parents they have to pay for? It just disgusts me.

The health issues you are speaking about for the "20's" are much cheaper for insurance companies to deal with than the health issues that begin to affect people starting in their 40's. It doesn't matter how healthy you are, people in this age bracket become prone to hypertension, heart disease, certain types of cancers, arthritis (sometimes leading to joint replacements) and many other illnesses that come on with age, regardless of how you take care of yourself.

I worked in benefits administration for many years and dealt with the insurance carriers negotiating annual contracts. Due to the issues I mentioned above, when factored in with the rest of the workforce population, it drives up the rate for companies that are experience rated.

Also, the health issues you mention for the "20's" can happen at any age. I'll bet there are far more life long drug addicts in their 50's and 60's than in their 20's. STD's can occur at any age. As far as pregnancies, it is much cheaper to insure someone in their 20's than someone who gets pregnant after the age of 35. At that age, there is more prenatal care and testing involved.

The majority of people in their 20's are not drunks, lazy or have poor work ethics and personally I am glad that my daughter-in-law gave birth to my granddaughter when she was 23. I have several great-nieces and great-nephews whose parents are in their 20's. There is nothing wrong with that. My son (who is now 31) and all my nieces and nephews work very hard for a living. I agree, they partied in college - who didn't? That is the time they are supposed to be enjoying life. Just because they went to college does not make them "entitled". Most of them went on scholarships, student loans and grants. Also, just like older people, they face lay-offs and hardships too. I have seen it in my own family.

There definitely is age discrimination for older workers - I am one of them. I lost my job when I was 51, I will be 55 in a few weeks. That is the worst possible age to be searching for a new job. However, I cannot hold a person's age against them and stereotype a certain age group - to me that is also discrimination and that is also not fair at all.

It makes me wonder if being laid off at 46 was a factor to the suits. I was making less than a bunch of the younger employees.

DesperateInRI wrote:
The health issues you are speaking about for the "20's" are much cheaper for insurance companies to deal with than the health issues that begin to affect people starting in their 40's. It doesn't matter how healthy you are, people in this age bracket become prone to hypertension, heart disease, certain types of cancers, arthritis (sometimes leading to joint replacements) and many other illnesses that come on with age, regardless of how you take care of yourself.

I worked in benefits administration for many years and dealt with the insurance carriers negotiating annual contracts. Due to the issues I mentioned above, when factored in with the rest of the workforce population, it drives up the rate for companies that are experience rated.

Also, the health issues you mention for the "20's" can happen at any age. I'll bet there are far more life long drug addicts in their 50's and 60's than in their 20's. STD's can occur at any age. As far as pregnancies, it is much cheaper to insure someone in their 20's than someone who gets pregnant after the age of 35. At that age, there is more prenatal care and testing involved.

The majority of people in their 20's are not drunks, lazy or have poor work ethics and personally I am glad that my daughter-in-law gave birth to my granddaughter when she was 23. I have several great-nieces and great-nephews whose parents are in their 20's. There is nothing wrong with that. My son (who is now 31) and all my nieces and nephews work very hard for a living. I agree, they partied in college - who didn't? That is the time they are supposed to be enjoying life. Just because they went to college does not make them "entitled". Most of them went on scholarships, student loans and grants. Also, just like older people, they face lay-offs and hardships too. I have seen it in my own family.

There definitely is age discrimination for older workers - I am one of them. I lost my job when I was 51, I will be 55 in a few weeks. That is the worst possible age to be searching for a new job. However, I cannot hold a person's age against them and stereotype a certain age group - to me that is also discrimination and that is also not fair at all.

I didn't party in college I was too busy STUDYING and working various jobs. All for what, to have some person who partied in college, who graduated with a 2.0 (as several I know did)get the job outside of me? Yep, the majority of the 20somethings I know are lazier than sin, drunks, and barely graduated college.

There are people with all kinds of diseases, and the growing one is obesity. Obesity is everywhere. In fact I'm willing to bet those who start to get unhealthy in their 40's are obese people. I work out and have been told I am over 10 years younger physically. I am athletic. If it comes to insurance I am fine with employers discriminating as long as it has to do with individual cases (obese) as compared to a group (age). It is NOT right to discriminate on age and I am healthy.

Until employers stop holding my age against me, I will hold it against the snot nosed recent grad who got the job outside of me. The one who only got it because they were a recent grad. I know many cases of this happening and I am going to start exposing every company.

I wouldn't be so bitter about them if I wasn't passed up many times because of younger applicants. I'm more bitter of foreign workers taking jobs but still discrimination is wrong. I'm also bitter because all I want is a full time job with benefits, to be married and have a baby and not sure if any of that will happen.

I don't blame you for being bitter, but please don't stereotype the younger generation. It isn't fair. The kids I know worked very hard in college, played sports, worked, interned, PARTIED and graduated either Magna or Suma Cum Laude. They aren't fat and they aren't lazy. Maybe I am taking this personally because I am thinking about all the kids in my family who did this. I have a 23 year old nephew with mild CP that no one will hire because of his slight limp and weak left hand that has struggled to find the money to complete undergraduate school, and will be attending Brown Medical School in the fall - on scholarships, grants and loans. He is not fat, he is not lazy and he is not a drunk. None of them are, neither are their friends.

You are stereotyping and discriminating just like employers do to older workers.

Those sound like the exceptions that I know. If I knew a lot of younger kids who did work hard I wouldn't be bitter. The fact is though that the ones I know are lazy and got where they are through their parents. That is terrible your nephew can't find a job.

New_Wave_Princess wrote:Those sound like the exceptions that I know. If I knew a lot of younger kids who did work hard I wouldn't be bitter. The fact is though that the ones I know are lazy and got where they are through their parents. That is terrible your nephew can't find a job.

He can't find a job because of discrimination. He applied for SS Disability - just to get him through school, and was told he wasn't "disabled enough". Can't win! People who take advantage of that is a whole different issue but it's late and I'm too tired to rant about that one!

Have a good night!

That is awful he can't get disability. That is messed up because I know people with mild disabilities who get it and abuse the system. I knew someone with OCD who gets it and another with anxiety. Both are mild but they use it because they don't want to work. I have both problems and I don't consider myself disabled at all.

Have a nie night.

'Facts of life' regarding age/health. The Obama healthcare plan not being in place sooner and the unemp crisis are a perfect storm?

I KNOW DH being laid off was in LARGE PART due to my health issues and required surgeries. I will live with this forever. HOPE THEY CAN...

Best revenge to be as happy and healthy as possible!!

Speaking of which, I went for an interview months ago where they wanted copies of my medical records. I started to sign the papers then asked myself why? It's just another form of discrimination. I didn't get the job btw and wonder if I would have gotten it if they looked at my medical records.

Well I am getting fat because I can't afford good food- like healthy nuts and good fresh veggies, I have to eat crap and it's making me mad because that's what's on sale. Nuts, good cuts of meat, and produce is through the roof. I guess they'll discriminate for that too.

They will, which is scary. I wanted to know why they asked me for my medical, because that sounds discriminatory.

This is just way off the scale, what the hell is this? I thought there were really strong rules in place connected with HIPPA to protect us from disclosing our medical records. So, you can actually sign to authorize, a company for employment to see your records. Unblievable, I only thought this was for insurance, like health, life, maybe mortgage insurance, stuff like that. Why did I think our govt' had rules in place, look at the SEC, they sure didn't protect us, default swap what??

Even if they had rules (I thought there was too)employers can bypass so much in this economy.