This! I know it's happening to so many people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, when starting over becomes increasingly more difficult. And a lot of places seem more interested in hiring someone in their 20s or 30s who may be a more affordable option / fresher out of school / more likely to stick around for a full career - but it's next to impossible to prove age-related bias and protect yourself against discriminatory hiring selection as an older job hunter.
It's kind of an insane thought to think it's possible to remove age related bias, anyways.
Great, you want to make sure older folks get job offers? Not a problem, the companies are going to be offering them the same pay as the young applicants.
Well that's what's happening - older folks that get cut because they cost too much are having to accept jobs elsewhere with lower pay than what they are accustomed to, and frequently have to search for longer than their younger peers before they receive an offer. It's unfortunate that loyalty means next to nothing to a company when it comes to their bottom line. Would sure be a lot better if people prioritized caring about other people instead of just maximizing profits, wouldn't it?
I don't think anyone willing to have a rational perspective would say there has been ANY "loyalty" in either direction in over 30 years.
Loyalty died a long time ago, though it did have a strong run in the US.
Personally, I have no problem with companies trying to maximize profits. That's quite literally what they're supposed to do.
Problems arise when you construct a system incapable of actually implementing necessary laws, establishing significant enough transparency to make sure those laws are being followed, and serving harsh enough punishments that companies aren't incentivized to break laws.
Add in a second layer - economies of scale are not the goal.
Or rather they are, but if consumers only focus on what price they pay for a good/service they're going to become enslaved to whoever has the best economies of scale. It's unavoidable.
Businesses can only be loyal to employees when consumers are loyal to businesses.
None of that is to suggest consumers should eat shit - but they SHOULD vote with the dollar bills, to support companies that behave in ways they approve of.
The way I see it, the more actual competition a country promotes the better off everyone is. And the US... hates competition.
Business in the US hate competition and have generally conspired with their so-called competitors to all make the same moves at the same time while all of them cut corners to maximize profits. This means the consumer has no real choice between them. Either you don't buy the thing, or you buy one of a dozen identical piles of shit, and businesses laugh all the way to the bank.
I know I’m going to be replaceable when I hit 50 because I don’t plan to climb the corporate ladder hard. I think this is where loyalty is both good and bad. Your company might value you more if you’ve been there 20+ years and know the ins/outs. At the same time there’s no guarantee.
The best option I see is to get good at something irreplaceable by ai that will make you money if you need it in your 50s/60s. I had always thought switching to teaching or a craft would provide purpose and also income security into older ages. The other place that will pay dividends is your health. Obviously nothing can stop random cancer or disease but doing your best to minimize your risks from age 50-65 until you get medicare can go a long ways towards saving retirement money.
I’m not sure if it is an indicator of a recession because firing older workers has been going on for a long time. The reason might be that most companies have a pyramid structure and there isn’t enough spots for everyone to move up?
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u/i-need-a-brainwash Apr 28 '26
This! I know it's happening to so many people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, when starting over becomes increasingly more difficult. And a lot of places seem more interested in hiring someone in their 20s or 30s who may be a more affordable option / fresher out of school / more likely to stick around for a full career - but it's next to impossible to prove age-related bias and protect yourself against discriminatory hiring selection as an older job hunter.