As an older person seeking employment in Florida, you may find that you face an uphill battle, and that you are up against certain hurdles you did not typically face when you were younger. Unfortunately, age discrimination is alarmingly common across Florida and the United States, despite the fact that there are laws in place banning employers from discriminating on the basis of age. At the Law Office of Michelle Cohen Levy, P.A., we recognize that there are certain protections in place for American workers who are 40 or older, and we have helped many victims of this type of treatment pursue appropriate recourse in the aftermath.
According to AARP, age discrimination is so prevalent across the nation that job seekers over 35 say it is the single-biggest hurdle keeping them from finding gainful employment. Furthermore, two out of every three job seekers between 45 and 74 report having experienced age discrimination on the job, with workers in the technology and entertainment industries facing especially high rates of age discrimination.
While older workers who make their livings in certain industries are more likely than others to experience age discrimination in the workplace, workers who are female are also more likely than male workers to fall victim to it. While more than 70% of female employees believe that age discrimination is a serious and widespread problem in American work environments, only 57% of male employees believe the same.
While age discrimination can occur at virtually any stage of the hiring, employment or termination processes, almost 20% of older workers believe that they are most likely to experience age discrimination during the hiring process. About 12% of older workers, meanwhile, said age discrimination caused them to miss out on a promotion, while another 8% reported that it played a role in their firing or layoff. You can find more about workplace discrimination on our webpage.