More and more often, workers use the internet to find jobs and apply for them. It’s a far easier way to submit information and resumes than filling out paper applications for each job.
However, some workers aren’t all that pleased with the process. They say that the websites may discriminate against them based on their age. They’re not claiming that the use of websites itself is discrimination, as if older workers can’t use them as easily as younger workers, but that the sites simply assume older workers won’t be online.
For example, one 70-year-old man was attempting to build a resume online, with an app called Jobr. Part of the process included picking the year that he got his first job or graduated with a drop-down menu. However, the earliest year he could pick was 1980. Some have said that any workers over 52-years-old wouldn’t be able to use the app, as their own graduation dates would typically be before 1980.
Other sites ran into the same problems, though they were not always as restrictive as that example. For instance, one site made it impossible for workers who were 83 and older to put in the proper dates. Most people are certainly retired by 83, but experts note that discrimination is discrimination. It’s unfair to assume an 83-year-old won’t attempt to get a job, and making it impossible to apply discriminates based on age.
As you can see, age discrimination is quite common and often appears in ways few people expect. If it’s been a hurdle you had to face in your career, it’s wise to know your legal options when your rights are violated.
Source: NPR, “Older Workers Find Age Discrimination Built Right Into Some Job Websites,” Ina Jaffe, accessed March 29, 2017