Poll: 43 percent of tech workers fear job loss due to ageism

A new poll shows that inside the tech industry, many workers fear they will lose their job due to age

Published October 21, 2017 3:16PM (EDT)

 (Getty/Zimmytws/Diephosi)
(Getty/Zimmytws/Diephosi)

A new survey showed that a large portion of tech workers have become increasingly anxious about their industry and their job security due to their age.

Roughly 43 percent of tech workers are worried about losing their job because of how old they are, and 18 percent worry about it "all the time," according to a new survey by the employment-related search engine Indeed.

Indeed surveyed 1,011 currently employed U.S. tech workers in September to gain a better understanding of ageism in the industry, and what potential consequences could be.

The survey showed that 29 percent of respondents said that the average employee age at their company was between 31 and 35, which puts them at the older end of the millenial generation. And 17 percent said their company's average employees were between the ages of 20 and 30.

This means that almost half — 46 percent — of the tech industry is made up of millenials. To contrast that, 27 percent of respondents said the average age of employees at their company was 36-40 which puts them at the younger end of Generation X, according to the survey.

Employees who are over 40 years old, make up the remaining 26 percent. Only 18 percent of respondents said they felt that Baby Boomer's were underrepresented at their company.

"With the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicting that that 25% of workers should be 55 and over by 2019, it’s clear that these numbers don’t reflect the diversity of the population when it comes to age," wrote Raj Mukherjee, the senior vice president of Product at Indeed. "Not only do employees witness an imbalance in age representation, but it is also causing anxiety among some workers."

But interestingly enough Silicon Valley is still "the main draw for workers of all ages, as San Jose and San Francisco hold the top two spots for each generation," Mukherjee noted.

Still, the survey reveals a somewhat disturbing trend within the tech industry, most notably, that it may not be the meritocratic system it has often been sold as. Rather, it may be positioned to become one where fear of losing employment kicks in by age 35. As the tech industry continues to shape itself, the workers always seem to be the ones stuck paying the price.


By Charlie May

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