14 November 2008
Survey: Age Discrimination Still a Problem at Top Ranks of Corporate America
Posted by Nina under: Career Management .
Source: PRWEB
According to the Second Annual Age at Work Survey conducted by Gray Hair Management (http://www.grayhairmanagement.com) — the country’s leading career coaching, networking and job search resource for professionals with base salaries of $75,000 to $300,000+ — 80.3 percent of executives believe there is moderate to severe age discrimination in the U.S. workplace. Gray Hair Management’s 2008 Age at Work Survey was conducted in October 2008 and included nearly 900 senior level executives age 40 or older.
The Age Factor at Work
Gray Hair Management found that 80.3 percent of execs believe that age discrimination is severe to moderate in the workplace. That is a 2.8 percent increase from last year’s survey. According to those surveyed this year, 19.3 percent believe that age discrimination is mild or almost never happens. Less than a half percent believe it never happens at all. The majority of execs, 88.4 percent, said they have worked for a younger boss, while 11.6 percent said they have never worked for someone younger in their working experience.
Today’s Economic Environment and Age
The Gray Hair Management Survey found that execs are nearly split down the middle on whether or not they think there is more age discrimination in today’s economic environment. Of those surveyed, 48 percent of execs think that age discrimination in the workplace in unchanged since last year, while 45.9 percent believe there is more discrimination. Only 4.5 percent execs believe there is less discrimination today, and 1.6 percent believe age is not an issue - now or in the past.
Changing Jobs at 40+
The Gray Hair Management Survey found that 73.1 percent of executives believe they have lost a job opportunity because of their age, nearly mirroring the 73.7 percent of executives who said the same last year. When asked at what point they believe age negatively affects hiring decisions, 24.9 percent believe that age becomes a negative hiring factor before age 50; 39.7 percent believe it becomes a factor between 50 and 54; 23.8 percent believe it happens between 55-59; and 11.6 percent believe age does not become a factor in hiring until 60+. Only 1.5 percent of execs believe that age is never an issue in hiring decisions.
The Age Advantage
At the same time, Gray Hair Management found that 64.7 percent of executives have felt that their age was an asset in a hiring situation, up from 62.4 percent last year. Still, 64.6 percent admit they have made adjustments to their resume to make their age less obvious. This number is up slightly from last year’s 63.3 percent.
“With today’s economic environment and current job market concerns, these results are especially alarming,” said Scott Kane, founder and partner of Gray Hair Management, Inc. and co-author of Winning the Job Race: Pathways Through Transition. “While it is evident that age discrimination is alive in the corporate world, we caution our clients to not let the numbers negatively affect their outlook on the situation. The job seeker who believes that he or she will be discriminated against should remember that age is just a number,” explains Kane. “Many companies are looking for leaders with the experience that only those with age can provide.”
Gray Hair Management’s 2008 Age at Work Survey was conducted in October 2008 and included 885 senior level executives who are members of the Gray Hair Management network.
About Gray Hair Management
Gray Hair Management® is the country’s leading career coaching and networking resource for executives and senior managers. Founded in 2000, Gray Hair Management holds monthly face-to-face networking sessions around the country, has more than 6,500 executives and senior managers in its worldwide database and sends over 1,500 monthly job leads and networking opportunities to its Gray Hair Management Network. The company’s mission is to help professionals get jobs. Gray Hair Management does this by helping organizations and recruiters around the country find qualified candidates, providing members with networking events and job leads and by coaching clients through its exclusive Pathways Through Transition™ program. Through its corporate services division, Gray Hair Management also offers outplacement and human resource solutions for small to medium-sized businesses. Partners Scott Kane and Jack Heyden speak regularly to corporate executives around the country via networking events, speaking engagements and radio interviews. For more information, please visit www.grayhairmanagement.com.