Gretchen VanSchaick: Area employers discriminating against seniors

Why are senior citizens experiencing discrimination when applying for a job?

I am the assistant case manager for Senior Community Service Employment Program. SER Jobs for Progress is the sponsor for this program. We are a federally funded program under the direction of the Department of Labor. We are permitted to have 12 participating seniors in the program and are allowed to work/train for 20 hours per week. They are assigned to a working/training job in a nonprofit organization to sharpen their skills and learn new skills.

While in the program, participants must do job searches. They are allowed to be in the program for four years and, if the participant does not find a job in that period, they are exited. The issue here is that when senior citizens apply for a job, the employer determines often discards the application. Employers are not permitted to ask birth dates, but they can ask for the date of graduation from high school. Why are employers so hesitant about hiring a skilled, capable, willing worker who is a senior citizen?

This story was originally published March 12, 2015 at 6:57 PM with the headline "Gretchen VanSchaick: Area employers discriminating against seniors."