The Epidemic of Ageism in Today’s Hiring Process

Employers think that we want to retire soon or we lack experience. But those are a myth.

I have been on both sides of this debate on the issue of employers being ageist when hiring. It was like that for me between the ages of 16 and 25. My very first job was working at MacDonald’s. But I also had to go to school too.

After I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama eons ago, my only job options were minimum wage ones that had nothing to do with my degree. So I guess that you can say that I was a starving artist.

I did go back to school a few more times. The last one did give me a job in Broadcasting after I graduated. And that is because I do have more work experience than those who are between the ages of 18 to 25.

Now, I am out of work once again because of the pandemic. This time for a year, I am over forty, and it’s just as hard to find a job at my age. Why? I do have the experience. And I have been putting out my resume and network only to get zero interviews. By the way, I even asked people in Broadcasting. However, their only response is to apply online and be a part of thousands of applicants whose resume is constantly rejected by the dreaded Applicant Tracking System. But I have been volunteering and getting some gigs. But they aren’t enough to pay the bills.

I’ve also exhausted my EI benefits, and the Canadian Government shut down their Covid benefits two months ago. And yet, there is a fourth wave of Covid-19, thanks to the Omnicron variant. The Canadian Government now has the Canadian Workers Lockdown Benefits, which I still can’t figure out how to get because it’s not out to the public. What a shame. I have tried to get onto Alberta’s Income Support. They refused me because I have too much money, I need to work minimum wage jobs (Which I don’t want to for reasons that I don’t want to mention here), and I live with my mother paying her $200 a month. I still wish to have moved to an apartment right away when I moved back. But I listened to my mother instead. You can imagine the eye roll here.

I wish the Alberta and Canadian governments realize that not everyone has children or has any disabilities to get those non-Pandemic related benefits. There should also be benefits for those who exhausted their EI and are now unemployed for the long term. Because of the pandemic and the shutdowns, no one can get a job in less than six months. There are people that I know that have been unemployed for two to five years.

Note to the Employers Out There Looking for People to Fill Positions.

If you think that the people over 40 whom you’ve interviewed want to retire in 25 years or less, YOU’RE WRONG! I don’t even want to retire until I am disabled or drop dead. I want to work for the long run. The reason? Pension doesn’t pay well. It doesn’t pay for our prescriptions over $100 per bottle. It doesn’t pay for the boredom we will encounter when we retire and it’s not enough to pay the bills. No wonder you see older men and women being paid poorly as Greeters at Walmart. And I know some other people over the age of 40 who don’t want to retire either. So stop thinking that we want to retire soon; not all of us want to.

This reminds me of a woman in her 80s who posted her frustration against ageism on Facebook. It was with employers in her industry. She, too, is looking for work. She has posted that she has 60 years of tech experience and knows the latest technology very well. But she’s still being discriminated against because Employers might think that she won’t fit in with the majority of younger workers or that they believe that seniors don’t know technology. Those are a myth. There are seniors out there who know the latest technology and can get along with younger workers. The 25 to 40 year old workers can learn something from seniors in the field.

As for discriminating against young people between 18 to 25 years of age: They have some experience working, but not in years. These are the people who have grown up with the internet and smartphones. They are more comfortable with technology. So you are mistaken again if you don’t think that’s the experience.

Many of these young adults end up working minimum wage jobs to pay their way through school. They also end up working two minimum wage jobs and going to school to pay their rent and other bills, which, as you know, are pretty expensive. No wonder there is a Great Resignation going on right now.

I know that there are some degrees like a doctor, lawyer, or university professor after you get your Ph.D., who will automatically get a job in those fields. But there are other degrees like, as I mentioned, Bachelor of Fine Arts, that won’t guarantee that the young person will get a job in those areas. So instead, they end up still working as a Barista for minimum wage after they graduate.

I once knew someone who has an Engineering degree, but they work as a Supervisor at Walmart. Otherwise, nowadays, a degree doesn’t guarantee someone a job right away. I have also learned that.

I know that employers don’t want to hire younger workers because of their lack of experience. This is because employers don’t have the money to train them or are afraid of a major screw-up that these young ones will make. Besides, everyone, no matter their age, makes mistakes. That’s part of what makes us human.

So it is time that Employers stop with this ageism. Older and younger workers have the same rights to get a job in the fields of their choice, just like those between 25 and 40 years of age. Stop thinking that we are over or underqualified, don’t know technology, or want to retire soon because those are all myths.