Even millennials are getting too old to get a tech job

A new report from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released this month puts some numbers to those vibes. The commission looked at more than 10 million workers employed in the technology workforce (which included workers in industries employed in 56 STEM-related roles) in 2022 and found that nearly 41 percent were between the ages of 25 and 39, an age group that made up only 33% of the total US workforce. Even younger workers fared better in tech: The number of people under 25 grew by about 9% each year from 2014 to 2022 and accounted for 7% of the tech workforce by 2022 , more than 20 times the growth rate for young workers across all industries. One of the top qualifications to land a tech job, it seems, is to possess a birth certificate dated after 1990.

The ranks of workers over 65 have also grown, but only to 4% – they are still by far the smallest age group working in technology and far underrepresented compared to their ranks in other industries. The EEOC report, which looked at age discrimination for the first time, included an even more troubling finding: Allegations of age discrimination are more prevalent among companies where STEM jobs are prominent. Age complaints are found in nearly 20 percent of charges filed with the EEOC at these companies, compared to 15 percent in other industries.

While none of this is good news, for many, it is validation. The report “finally brought to life that this is real,” says Maureen Clough, host of the It Gets Late Early podcast about aging in the tech world. “We don’t have to be gas-lighted anymore.”

Of course, age isn’t the only workforce issue in the tech world. The EEOC also found that women and workers of color continue to be disproportionately underrepresented and that discrimination in the industry is likely a contributing factor to age, gender, and racial disparities in the technology sector. Women make up just 22 percent of tech workers—the same proportion of jobs they held in 2005.

The number of tech workers under 25 grew by about 9% each year from 2014 to 2022, more than 20 times the growth rate of young workers across all industries.

Age is often relegated to a secondary consideration behind other demographics in the push for diversity. This may be because many people don’t really believe that ageism is wrong—even though US law has prohibited discrimination against workers over the age of 40 since 1967. Stereotypes and complaints about both the young and the old remain embedded in society and are less questioned. than preconceived notions of race, sexuality and gender. Certain behaviors, whether trying to delay aging with anti-aging serums or outright mocking older people with “OK, boomer” memes, were largely seen as the privilege of the young rather than antagonistic. Aging is associated with deteriorating physical and mental health, social isolation, loneliness, financial insecurity and even early death. Forties is usually designated as older in Silicon Valley, but in China, too, the threat looms, with workers speaking of the “35-year-old curse,” fearing that even reaching that age could lead to declining career opportunities in technology.

Even with the new data, there’s a lot we don’t know. Joanna Lahey, a professor of public policy at Texas A&M University who studies age discrimination, says the report shows a correlation between youth and tech employment, but the exact cause is unclear. A delayed representation of older workers could stem from discrimination in hiring, training, or retention. But it could also show that older workers are retiring while more young people are entering the workforce. “We don’t know the true extent of the problem, and importantly, if there is a problem, we don’t know how to fix it,” Lahey wrote in an email.

But recent layoffs have only added to suspicions of age. More than 130,000 tech workers have been laid off worldwide this year, continuing a trend that began in 2022, according to Layoffs.fyi, a site that tracks job cuts in the tech industry. John Zeman, a former employee of X, then Twitter, is suing the company after he was fired when Elon Musk, then 51, took over in November 2022 and laid off staff. Zeman was 63 at the time, and his lawsuit alleges that 60 percent of Twitter workers over 50 were cut during the layoff, compared to 54 percent of workers under 50. In early September, a federal judge ruled the class-action lawsuit could move forward, finding the allegations went beyond “mere speculation.”

Lawyers for the plaintiffs and X did not respond to a request for comment. But these cases can be difficult; if older workers were paid better, for example, cuts could be defended on cost-saving grounds. Former IBM workers also sued the company, alleging that people over 40 were laid off at higher rates than younger workers, but IBM was able to block some of those claims (the company denied involvement in “systemic age discrimination”). Cases like these are massive gambles: They could be major wins for holding tech companies accountable for ageist practices, or create a chilling effect that prevents others from fighting in court.

Sometimes the ageism is obvious, and other times it leaves workers with a hunch. John Rizzo, a 60-year-old man, says he’s spent the past two years applying for product management jobs, but credits his age as the reason he’s still unemployed. Rizzo says he has 450 versions of his resume and has applied to more than 4,000 jobs. He does well on phone screens, but says a recruiter’s tone seems to change once they get a Zoom call and see his age. It’s a hurdle to finding a tech job you haven’t had in the past. “It’s heartbreaking,” Rizzo says. “And for a long time I thought it was me. I thought I was doing something wrong.” He’s worked for a startup he co-founded and as a contractor for other companies, but says he also makes ends meet working as a security guard. Rizzo says the absence of experienced workers like him is a loss for tech companies. “Genius X built the tech industry,” he says. “There’s a ton of value there. There’s a lot of experience there.”

The argument for an intergenerational workforce is not only moral but also practical. A recent study by The Inclusion Initiative at the London School of Economics, which surveyed around 1,500 UK and US workers in technology, finance and professional services, found that employees at companies with age-inclusive work practices were twice as likely less than half as likely to be satisfied with their jobs. just as likely to seek new roles. These workers also reported experiencing low levels of productivity less often. Combining workers across generations brings together people with different knowledge, perspectives and social networks, said Daniel Jolles, a behavioral scientist who worked on the research.

“When we have good diversity, we can get more productive results under the right conditions,” Jolles said. And that’s the kind of argument that might get the attention of business leaders. After all, they’re not getting any younger either.

Amanda Hoover is a senior correspondent for Business Insider covering the technology industry. She writes about the biggest companies and technology trends.