Kip Conforti, the owner of two package-shipping stations in Pennsylvania, is tired of hiring younger employees who often arrive late, miss work, and waste time on social media. So, he decided to try something different by hiring older workers, and his top candidate for a part-time position is a man in his 70s. Contrary to popular belief, the Wall Street Journal-NORC survey of Americans' values shows that 75% of people aged 65 and older consider hard work to be very important, compared to 61% of those aged 18 to 29. This perception has led to an increasing demand for senior workers in the workforce, and some companies are targeting them, considering age to be an asset.
Since 2012, companies have been pledging to give workers over 50 a fair shot at employment at the urging of the AARP. Today, over 2,500 businesses, including Microsoft Corp., Bank of America Corp., and H&R Block Inc., have signed the pledge. It’s a trend that also applies to Kindercare Learning Centers Inc., where Travis Trautman, the company's senior director of talent acquisition, explains that its program, which recruits and employs more senior workers, has incentivized many of them to work earlier, later and occasionally be on-call.
Older workers are considered ideal for businesses that focus on retention. Laurel McDowell, a senior member of ManpowerGroup Inc., said mature workers can tie-in perfectly with companies that value stability, as young professionals are prone to job-hopping, although not necessarily more frequently than the previous generation at a similar career stage. Despite ageism being a barrier for some senior workers, age discrimination complaints to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission fell by 45% from 2011 to 2021. Johnny C. Taylor Jr., CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management, states that this drop signifies a reduction in age discrimination.
In conclusion, some employers look for seniors when hiring as they perceive them to have a strong work ethic, which appeals to employers who are looking for individuals who are naturally predisposed to work hard.