While the American employment rate may be strong, some older workers in New Jersey are still finding it difficult to lock down a job after they reach a certain age. According to a recent survey of adults 45 and older, age discrimination is still very prevalent, especially when it comes to looking for a job.
The survey found that 61 percent of participants said that they either saw age discrimination or experienced it themselves. Furthermore, 38 percent said that they believed that age discrimination in the workplace was common. The survey also found that older employees were more likely to experience long-term unemployment. For example, more than 27 percent of workers who were older than 55 had periods of long-term unemployment compared to about 18 percent of workers who were between the ages of 16 and 54.
To combat this issue, some workers advocate strengthening the laws surrounding age discrimination that were put into place in 1967. The survey found that 90 percent of participants support this view. In addition, 59 percent said that they would support a change to the laws and another 32 percent said that they agree to some extent that the laws should be changed.
There are many ways in which workplace discrimination could affect employees. In some cases, companies may discriminate against a person by not hiring him or her strictly due to age. At work, discriminatory comments or failing to promote an employee due to his or her age may be considered age discrimination. If a person believes he or she experienced age discrimination, an employment law attorney may address the situation. If a resolution is not reached, the attorney could help the client file a claim.
