Ageism Haunts Some Tech Workers in the Race to Get Hired

Introduction

The US economy is showing remarkable health, but in the tech industry, layoffs keep coming. For those out of work, finding a new position can become a full-time job. And in tech—a sector notoriously always looking for the next hot, new thing—some people whose days as fresh-faced coders are long gone say that having decades of experience can feel like a disadvantage.

The Issue of Ageism in Tech

Ageism is a longtime problem in the tech industry. Database startup RelevantDB went viral in 2021 after it posted a job listing bragging, “We hire old people,” which played off industry stereotypes. In 2020, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found that IBM had engaged in age discrimination, pushing out older workers to make room for younger ones. (The company has denied engaging in “systemic age discrimination.”)

A recent LinkedIn ad that shows an older woman unfamiliar with tech jargon saying her son sells invisible clouds triggered a backlash from people who say it unfairly portrayed older people as out of touch. In response, Jim Habig, LinkedIn’s vice president of marketing, says: “This ad didn’t meet our goal to create experiences where all professionals feel welcomed and valued, and we are working to replace the spot.”

Ageism is “an open secret in the tech industry,” says Maureen Clough, host of It Gets Late Early, a podcast about aging in tech. Even when ageism isn’t as blatant as the IBM case, she says, it lurks behind common ideas in industry hiring, such as culture fit. “If you have a company that is predominantly young, white, and male, it’s going to be harder to get in there,” Clough says.

The Impact on Job Seekers

Vern Six, a 58-year-old programmer, says he recently ran into explicit ageism on his job hunt. A recruiter told him that he wouldn’t be appealing to employers and opined that Six should be chief technology officer at this point in his career, not a software developer.

After Six’s LinkedIn post about that encounter went viral, he created a LinkedIn group for people to discuss ageism in tech. He says he has often thought his age might play a role in job hunting, but “this was the first time I’ve ever had anybody say it directly.”

Industry and government data shows that US tech workers skew younger than the wider US workforce, but definitive data on differences in hiring patterns for older and younger tech workers has been hard to gather. That’s because so many more senior tech workers get jobs by networking or moving between companies where they know people rather than by cold applying, and that’s tricky to study and quantify, says Joanna Lahey, a professor of public policy at Texas A&M University who studies age discrimination.

Older workers may be out of work for longer between jobs because they’re more likely to seek higher salaries or be selective, says Lahey. But if older workers are excluded from some positions because recruiters assume they wouldn’t take a lower offer or position or are perceived as not fitting into the company culture, that’s a problem, she says. “There are a lot of people who have a lot of skills who are unemployed longer than they ought to be. It’s a loss for them, and it’s a loss for society.”

The Job Market Challenges

Tech companies have laid off more than 400,000 workers over the past two years, according to Layoffs.fyi, which tracks job cuts in the industry. To older workers, the purge is both a reminder of the dotcom bust, and a new frontier. The industry’s generally consistent growth in recent decades as the economy has become more tech-centric means that many more senior workers—which in tech can sometimes be considered to mean over 35 but includes people in their late forties, fifties, or sixties—may have less experience with job hunting.

For decades, tech workers could easily hop between jobs in their networks, often poached by recruiters. And as tech companies boomed during the Covid-19 pandemic’s early days, increased demand for skills gave workers leverage. Now the power has shifted to the employers as companies seek to become efficient and correct that overhiring phase, and applicants are hitting walls. Workers have to network, stay active on LinkedIn, join message boards, and stand out. With four generations now clocking in to work, things can feel crowded.

Adapting to the Changing Landscape

“You have to essentially adapt to how people are sourcing and looking for new talent,” and that’s changed in the past few years, says Devika Brij, the CEO and founder of Brij the Gap Consulting, a firm focused on developing and retaining underrepresented workers. Recruiters are looking for people with personal brands and perspectives, who contribute to conversation on LinkedIn or in newsletters. Résumés with experience matter, but workers need to show more. Sharing perspectives and articles on social media “helps people understand and know that you are a contributor,” Brij says. “You’re more than just a job.”

Some out-of-work tech workers now wonder if they’ll find full-time jobs again. Gabriel Schillaci, 56, has done contract and freelance developer and IT work from his home in Argentina for decades. Since his most recent gig ended last year, Schillaci estimates, he has applied for 100 jobs but heard back from only two. He finds the application process daunting: There are calls with recruiters that he says are removed from the tech side of the business, more interviews, and then sometimes sample projects that take hours.

It’s a huge shift: In 2022, Schillaci says, recruiters were constantly messaging him on LinkedIn; now he’s the one sending the messages. “I always prefer to have a personal meeting, so they know me, they know how much I do, how much I did, what I know,” he says. Schillaci is also concerned about how automated the hiring process has become and wonders if his résumé might be skipped for missing

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

The article discusses the challenges faced by older workers in the tech industry, including ageism and difficulties in finding new positions. SDG 8 aims to achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all individuals, regardless of age.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

The article highlights age discrimination in the tech industry, which contributes to inequalities based on age. SDG 10 seeks to promote social, economic, and political inclusion for all individuals, irrespective of age.

SDG 5: Gender Equality

Although not the main focus of the article, it briefly mentions the issue of gender inequality in the tech industry. SDG 5 aims to end all forms of discrimination against women and girls.

SDG 4: Quality Education

The article mentions the importance of technical and vocational education in the tech industry. SDG 4 aims to ensure equal access to quality education, including technical and tertiary education.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Under SDG 8, the specific target that can be identified is Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value.

Under SDG 10, the specific target that can be identified is Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.

Under SDG 5, the specific target that can be identified is Target 5.1: End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere.

Under SDG 4, the specific target that can be identified is Target 4.3: By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article does not explicitly mention any indicators related to the identified targets. However, based on the content, the following indicators can be used:

For Target 8.5: Average hourly earnings of female and male employees, by occupation, age group, and persons with disabilities (Indicator 8.5.1).

For Target 10.2: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income, by age, sex, and persons with disabilities (Indicator 10.2.1).

For Target 5.1: Whether or not legal frameworks are in place to promote, enforce and monitor equality and non-discrimination on the basis of sex (Indicator 5.1.1).

For Target 4.3: Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, by sex (Indicator 4.3.1).

These indicators can help measure progress towards achieving the identified targets by providing data on earnings, income inequality, legal frameworks, and participation in education.

4. Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators