With 2017 marking the 50th anniversary of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), AARP sought to gather insights from workers age 45-plus related to their experience in the workplace and their experiences with age discrimination, specifically. The workforce is aging – with 35 percent of the workforce projected to be age 50-plus by 2022, yet age discrimination in the workforce remains a persistent and common problem. Older workers are experiencing age discrimination not only when looking for a new job but also in other aspects of employment.
With rich work histories, varied experiences and expertise, and work tenures that speak to commitment and resilience, older workers should have the opportunity to be judged on their merits rather than their age. This research shows that older workers consider the protections of the ADEA to be just as critical now as they were 50 years ago. In fact, older workers believe that age discrimination should be taken just as seriously as other forms of discrimination, and support strengthening the laws to ensure that it is.
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