ziggy29
Moderator Emeritus
Yeah, this can be true but there are other factors that go into this, I think:OTOH, young folks may have more up to date skills and more initiative. Not universally true by any means, but I watched way too many older employees let their skills atrophy and refuse to initiate or even accept training to bring themselves up to date. There shouldn't be a bias against older employees, but employers have a right to get the skills they're paying for...YMMV
1) Older workers are (in the general case) not as used to rapid technological changes and the need to constantly overhaul their skill set every couple of years. A 28-year-old engineer might be used to that. A 58-year-old, not so much. It's harder for the latter to adjust to a reality that requires them to redo their skill sets very frequently. The younger worker just accept that as a routine part of being employable; it's all they've ever known.
2) Older workers are used to a culture where employers used to provide on-the-job training. If you needed new skills, often the employer would pay for it and give you on-the-job time to learn it. These days you're a lot more likely to be forced to pay for it all yourself and do it all on your own time -- even for a new skill your employer never used to require but now wants you to have.