04-02-2024
Mass layoffs, a different job market post-pandemic, and fast technological changes look like they are hitting Gen X especially hard. Gen X, roughly ages 44 to 59, sits between Boomers and Millennials. The BBC delved into the current experience of this generation. A 2022 AARP survey showed that around 80% of workers between the ages of 40 and 65 "witnessed or personally faced age discrimination at work." AARP says it is the highest recorded number since it began surveying in 2003.
With Boomers delaying retirement and staying in their jobs longer, many senior leadership positions are unavailable for Gen X. When there are open roles, hiring managers perceive Gen X as less technologically savvy. Thus, they prefer to hire Millennial and Gen Z "digital natives." Most Gen X members do not want to retire yet, whether they need to continue earning money or do not want to step off their career trajectories. They are still raising kids while caring for aging relatives. When employers do not see them as the most experienced or adept at technology, it leaves them in a hard place.
Christina Matz, a Boston College professor and director of the Center on Aging and Work, states employers label older workers as slow, set in their ways, and incompetent. Women face additional hurdles as employers see them as burdened with family responsibilities. The BBC article points out employers' age biases could prevent them from valuing good candidates. Older and middle-aged employers offer a strong work ethic and lower absenteeism rates. One inclusion advocate argues Gen X is adaptable because they entered the market just as email started. Gen X has had to learn "the internet, then Web 2.0, and now AI" to survive. He notes that most employer diversity and inclusion programs do not address age issues at work.