A loud call to action seems appropriate after reading research conducted by Raj Mukherjee SVP of Product at Indeed.com.
The study outlines “the elephant in the room” in tech, Ageism. Surveying 1,011 US tech workers they found:
43% of employees worry about losing their job due to their age
Our survey of tech workers found that close to half of respondents (43%) worry about losing their job because of their age. Even more troubling, nearly one 5th (18%) say they worry about it “all the time.”
More than one-third of workers surveyed (36%) report experiencing at least one instance during which they weren’t taken seriously by colleagues and managers due to age.
And yet, most respondents (78%) still consider older tech workers (those aged 40+) to be highly qualified, and over 83% state that these workers have good experience and can share wisdom.
The study continues with research on demographic preferences for geography and job titles when job hunting in tech.
There is agreement that diverse teams are good for business that doesn’t always translate into policy and company culture when it comes to ageism.
85% of tech workers believe their employers care about diversity, but age remains an issue
There is a strong body of research concluding that a diverse workforce makes for more innovative teams. Bringing in older workers aids in the decision making too.
Mukherjee concludes that HR organizations must make age a pillar of their diversity planning.
As with solving the broader issues related to tech diversity, change will not happen overnight. But considering the value and experience older employees bring to the industry, there is no other choice. To do otherwise is to leave far too much valuable potential untapped.
Link to the full article: Study: Ageism In The Tech Industry
Photo by Clayton Hauck: Tech.Co
