There are many older people in Indiana who continue to work full time rather than retiring. In fact, the Pew Research Council found that nearly 20 percent of people over the age of 65 were working in 2016. The National Council on Aging says that 25 percent of workers in the U.S. are over the age of 55.
Although older people make up a significant portion of the U.S. labor force, older job applicants are frequently discriminated against during the hiring process. Many job applicants have reported that they are considered too old for certain industries by the time they reach their forties. Periods of unemployment tend to last longer for people over the age of 45 than they do for younger workers.
Employment discrimination against older workers is illegal, and employers can be sued for denying employment to qualified older job candidates. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 protects workers at or over the age of 40 from age-based discrimination. The law protects people from age-based discrimination that could involve hiring and firing decisions as well as issues surrounding promotions, wages and work conditions. It is also unlawful for an employer to specify a preferred age group in a job advertisement or require employees to retire at a certain age.
Because employers are usually aware of workplace discrimination laws, they may not explicitly state that they are only hiring younger people. However, there may still be sufficient evidence to demonstrate that the employer has a pattern of age discrimination. An employment law attorney may be able to use this evidence to help an older worker sue for discrimination and pursue financial compensation.
