Reports from the Associated Press in Washington, DC are that age discrimination are on the rise in America as older unemployed Americans face a perfect storm of employment circumstances.
Firstly, older Americans are feeling the brunt of the lay offs that have been occurring in staggering numbers since the beginning of the 3rd Quarter in 2008. Older workers are perceived by corporations making deep employment cuts as a liability by many companies as they generally command higher salaries and represent a lower future return on investment.
And once unemployed older Americans are finding it more difficult to find new employment than their younger competitors.
The Labor Department is reporting that as of June of 2009, unemployed Americans over the age of 55 are finding that it takes an average of 30 weeks to find a new job versus 21 weeks for their younger counterparts.
Older jobless Americans are taking some drastic measures to compete including deleting any signs of their age from their resumes. Reports of using Botox injections to reduce the signs of aging have been widespread as older Americans look for ways to level the playing field.
To add to the difficulty, the widespread drop in the worth of stocks, retirement funds, home values and other financial assets has forced Americans to work further into their Golden years.
The Employment Opportunity Commission is reporting an increase of 29 percent in the number of complaints associated with age bias and age discrimination. This is the highest number of complaints on record dating back 16 years.
