Ninety-five percent of participants in a new WerkLabs survey who reported experiencing ageism admitted to having consciously tried to physically conceal or mask the appearance of their age in interviews.
“Anything from language used in job descriptions to a hiring manager telling a prospective employee he or she is ‘overqualified’ can be considered age discrimination,” said Dr. Pam Cohen, president of WerkLabs and the study’s lead author.
“Our goal with this study was to not only identify what constitutes ageism, but also where employees are witnessing it the most in order to provide organizations with actionable solutions to overcome and prevent this illegal discrimination.”
In the survey of more than 700 professionals over the age of 40, 75% experienced that discrimination during their job search, while 53% indicated ageism within their workplace.
Alarmingly, ageism is showing as most acute in the fastest-growing future of work industries such as financial services (85%), advertising and marketing (84%), and technology (81%).
To see the full study by WerkLabs, in conjunction with the insights division of The Mom Project, click here.
