Why Older Workers Can’t Get Hired

There are many reasons why it is difficult for older workers to get hired by many companies today. According to the article Why Older Workers Can’t Get Hired, one of these reasons is the expectation of a higher salary than their counterparts due to their many years of experience. Older workers are expected to ask for a higher salary and this makes many potential employers hesitant because of the added expenditure to their businesses hence a preference for younger workers whose little experience ensures them a low salary. The second reason for a hesitation in hiring older workers is the belief that many older workers may not be able to work well with younger bosses due to the age and generational differences between them and may feel uncomfortable working for a less experienced boss.

A third reason is that many older workers lack the necessary skills to function in a modern and fast evolving working environment due to the fact that many have yet to embrace the new technology that has come into the market. For example, many companies currently require that job applications be submitted online, and many older workers, lacking knowledge in computers tend to lose opportunities to get hired despite their experience in their field of work. The retirement expectations of older workers may make a potential employer reluctant to hire them because it is believed that these workers will be retiring soon anyway and there is no need for taking the responsibility for paying their benefits when they only have a short time to work. Being unemployed for a long time may make older workers to be visibly frustrated and when they show up for interviews, they tend to be careless with their appearance and behavior and this immediately puts off the potential employer.