The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 protects people in California and throughout the country that are aged 40 years and older from age discrimination on the job. However, one study found that in comparison to their workforce representation, Generation X workers are hired 33 percent less and Baby Boomers 60 percent less in tech jobs while millennials are hired 50 percent more. Age discrimination is a serious problem in the tech industry despite the fact that one survey found that IT workers over 55 years of age were less stressed by workplace technology than younger workers were.
According to an investigation by the New York Times and ProPublica, Google, LinkedIn and Facebook published job ads that could only be seen by younger people. The investigation also found that Amazon, Verizon and other companies had done so as well. In December, the Communications Workers of America filed a class-action age discrimination lawsuit in response.
The vice president of advertising for Facebook said the practice was the same as choosing magazines in which to place ads based on the specific demographic targeted by that publication. However, some legal experts say that this analogy does not work because in those cases, people from other demographic groups still have the option of seeing the ads. In the case of Facebook hiding the ads from people, this was not the case.
People who are age 40 and over that feel they have experienced age discrimination at work or when seeking a job may want to talk to an attorney. Age discrimination can take a number of forms and may include denying a person a promotion, treating someone differently because of his or her age or blocking an individual from applying for a job. A lawyer may be able to advise someone about how to handle making a report in his or her workplace or escalating the issue if necessary.