9 out of 10 IT Proffesionals Say Age Discrimination is Rife in Industry

In a poll carried out by recruiter Greythorn, 9 out of 10 IT professionals have admitted that the industry discriminates on the grounds of age. Furthermore, 3 out of 4 believe that over 50s are specifially the target of such discrimination

The research, published today, also highlighted that whilst 7 out of 10 feel either "secure" or "very secure" in thier jobs, only 3 out of 10 over 50s feel the same way. Consequently, is comes as little suprise that while only 1 in 20 IT professionals feel "very insecure" in their jobs, three times as many over 50s feel the same.

Paul Winchester, managing director of Greythorn, believes this is because age is not seen as a asset in the IT industry, "In professions such as law or accountancy an employee is considered better at his or her job when they have built up a body of experience and knowledge in a certain area.

"But in IT, age is not necessarily perceived as an asset. Some people over 50 think they are unpopular with current and future employers because of the perception that experienced people cannot adapt to new technologies."

However, he questions the sensibility of such a narrow minded view, "Yes, Generation Y have grown up with web 2.0 et al – but does that really give them an edge? Is it worth losing the in-depth knowledge, man management skills and experience of the over fifties in the pursuit of youth?"

From Check4Jobs UK