Comment on Fewer People 55-And-Over Choose To Work. But Why?
schipelblorp@sh.itjust.works 4 days ago
Yup. I’ve been thinking it’s my autistic tendencies getting in the way of me being hired, but I most often see young people being hired for the positions I’m trying for and ageism has to be playing some role.
It’s weird because I’m a much better worker and person than I was in my 20s.
It’s weird because I’m a much better worker and person than I was in my 20s.
Yes but you are also much more expensive than you were in your 20s. Even if you took the lower wages, the cost for insurance for the company is higher.
There’s also the stigma/stereotype(?) of older individuals being stubborn and refusing to learn. “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” .
That’s true. Making insurance go through employers does obviously contribute to age discrimination.
And, as far as stereotypes go, yes, that is almost universally the cause of discrimination.
But, in this case, as other people have pointed out, a big part of it could just be social exclusion–that is younger people want to work with younger people. I think some countries and cultures do this better than others, but in the United States there is a very strong generational segregation.
There is a strong segregation. I’d argue it isn’t just generational though.
Look at literally the hiring habits of every Indian manager, or eastern European?
Literally all it took was 1 Indian to be promoted to director and we have not had a single promotion, or out of cycle raise for anyone that was not a man with strong Indian roots. Not once in almost a decade. If you want up, you must move sideways.
They hired a VIP that was from Belarus, and within 6 months. My buddy found he was the only American still in his entire department.
Yup, that is more explicit discrimination. And before you retire, consider suing that place. Right wing outlets will eat it up.
There is a separate softer and amorphous “team culture” bias that is particularly difficult if you’re substantially older (or younger) than everyone else.
I once was on a job interview and was asked, “It’s important that everyone gets along, so what are your hobbies?” Obviously, if people get along and what their hobbies SHOULD ideally be two different questions, but if everyone is talking about Pokemon and you’re just wondering who is going to win the International Chopin Competition, you’re probably not going to gel.
This worries me a bit because I have never been diagnosed but I am that person that has always been “odd”. Tech was great in not caring about that stuff.
Yup, the few places I really got along with people seemed to be at jobs autistic people gravitated to.
TranscendentalEmpire@lemmy.today 4 days ago
Guys… Just because there is a decline in people choosing to work, it does not mean more people are doing so because of ageism. First of all 50 and over have historically shared a disproportionately large chunk of the job market. Younger baby boomers and older genx just held onto their positions longer than prior generations. Now that they are getting older and their stock portfolios now represent a huge portion of middle and upper class wealth, they are finally choosing to retire.
If you look at the date people 45 and over have the lowest unemployment levels on the market, and they are being unemployed at the same pace as everyone else.
I think you guys are just experiencing the same issues everyone else is in a market where people are hiring less frequently and employees are staying in positions longer. You probably just aren’t used to it compared to the younger generations where this has been a norm for their entire careers.
schipelblorp@sh.itjust.works 4 days ago
Perhaps the higher employment rate of 50+ is just based on them already having a job and keeping it.
What you want to look at is at people who are looking for a job.
Are 50+ year olds getting hired at lower rates than younger cohorts?
TranscendentalEmpire@lemmy.today 4 days ago
Yes, that is one of the things I spoke about. That age bracket has experienced the most stable economy America has ever had and has thus experienced relatively low levels of unemployment.
That is the unemployment rate. Which they are the lowest bracket in.
I haven’t seen any evidence to support that?
Let’s actually examine the statistics they are utilizing.
Makes sense, they have the lowest unemployment rate, meaning they are searching for jobs less often.
Also makes sense… Older generations did not have to achieve as high of an education to remain competitive.
That’s how pensions work…? Most people at age 55 and older are going to rollover their 401k into a IRA as most 401k require a set amount of time until they become vetted.
Yeah, makes sense. Older more experienced workers are able to hold out longer to find a job that matches their experience levels and pay expectations.
None of these statistics substantiate the claim that older people are being discriminated against.
schipelblorp@sh.itjust.works 4 days ago
Okedoke. Try dodging this one, Neo.
jhr.uwpress.org/content/59/1/1
MasterBlaster@lemmy.world 4 days ago
Someone else already got to it before me to show that ageism is really a thing. However, I still want to comment.
The dirty little secret about unemployment statistics in the United States of America is that it only counts people who are considered searching for work.
Searching for work means they’re receiving unemployment benefits. My benefits ran out six to eight months ago. I am not considered unemployed. Consistently, month after month, the percentage of the population that is in the workforce is decreasing. I believe that Vickie was called the workforce participation rate. This is why the unemployment rate is so low. Everybody who can’t find a job and finally gives up drops off the list.
I saw a figure that I can’t get the source for at the moment that states we have about a 14% rate of people who are unemployed who want to work.
TranscendentalEmpire@lemmy.today 4 days ago
The department of labour defines it as anyone receiving benefits or still seeking employment. Seeking employment is defined as making specific efforts to find a job in the last 4 weeks. So no, that is not correct.
The labour participation rate keeps track of the percentage of the civilian non-institutional population (ages 16 and older) that is either working or actively looking for a job
It has been in decline since the year 2000 largely due to the baby boomers reaching retirement age.
stringere@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
And how does the department of labor measure the number of people still seeking employment. What data are they gathering to measure that. Where are they getting it?
www.bls.gov/cps/cps_htgm.htm#unemployed
I have never seen such a questionnaire when I was unemplyed past being able to collect benefits. 4 weeks after my unemployment ran out I become considered “not in the labor force”. There is no followup program to identify people who are no longer considered in the labor force, yet are still seeking work.
MasterBlaster@lemmy.world 4 days ago
The oldest Gen X cohort is 60 years old now. we’re not holding on to anything past retirement age… yet.
Note that there are many boomers who are poor and are working because they have no choice. Contrary to popular belief, most jobs were not that cushy over the last 50 to 60 years. pensions were steadily whacked, jobs were sent offshore. Maybe consider listening to the Billy Joel song called “Allentown”.
Gen X is cynical and never believed they were going to get retirement anyway precisely because they watched what happened to the generation before them.
TranscendentalEmpire@lemmy.today 4 days ago
I included genx because some consider starting in 1960 or 1961, which would make them eligible for retirement.
Yes, but compared to other generations they are doing much better.
Lol, what? They watched their parents sell a home they bought for 10k for 400k and they lost all hope?
MasterBlaster@lemmy.world 4 days ago
that straw man you set on fire is nice and warm.
Only a moron or a dishonest debater would look back and not acknowledge the destruction of millions of steel, coal, manufacturing, furniture making, and textile industry jobs, the decline of unions, the shifting of tax burdens, or the elimination of public support. oh, lets not forget the drug addiction all over manufacturing towns throughout the industrialized states.
bravo!
HubertManne@piefed.social 4 days ago
younger genx is just getting to where they can get social security. don’t see how that is hanging on to the jobs. In another decade we might see.
TranscendentalEmpire@lemmy.today 4 days ago
Which is why I said older gen-x? Though generational classes are pretty vague.
HubertManne@piefed.social 4 days ago
I read younger but figured you meant the one close to boomer. what im saying is they are just hitting retirement age. Im mid X and Im supposed to be working for 10 more years. heck now is supposed to be when Im putting in most for retirement. I would totally retire early now if I could. Thats why I was saying you might see in 10 years but honestly im not sure how older X is doing. I mean I know I was unemployed for over a year in 2010/2011 and was kinda lucky I had a job that held out for so long from that crises. similarly I was lucky to enter a government grant based position back with the first tech crash just after 2000. I mean I know boomers who could of retired with a nice enough setup and did not but given X is just at retirement age and that im not sure how prevalent a decent setup is its kinda a different story. I don’t many have pension plans they are part of.