Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER October 30, 2017 NEWS 3 Older tech workers face ageism in hiring Employers missing out on top performers as companies target millennials: Report BY SARAH DOBSON WHILE older workers in the tech sector are more likely to be considered top performers, they also face systemic ageism when it comes to recruitment, according to a report from Visier Insights. The ageism is evident even when the availability of talent is considered, said David Weisbeck, chief strategy officer at Visier in Vancouver. "It shifted way towards millen- nial hires, so to us that's where we see very strong evidence for bias here. It's very different by com- parison from other industries, in a dramatic way," he said. "It's massively shifted for tech individuals to being hired much younger, even when you look at not just baby boomers but gen X as well." Non-manager workers in the tech sector are increasingly likely to receive a top performer rat- ing as they age, mature and gain experience. In contrast, in the non-tech sector, the performance ratings of workers decreases with age, found the report, which analyzed the workforce data of 43 Blue Chip companies in the United States (including 63,000 workers in the tech industry and 267,000 in the non-tech industry). And yet the tech industry is hir- ing a disproportionately higher ratio of workers than non-tech, up until the age of 48, indicat- ing there's a bias towards hiring younger candidates. When it comes to overcoming age bias, employers need to grow up, said Andrew Davis, a recruiter at Synergistic Communications in San Francisco. "Managerial immaturity is widespread, and Silicon Valley's bro culture is its most serious symptom. Age bias is a result of arrogance, insularity and fear," he said. "I know lots of older tech workers with exemplary track re- cords who are more than willing and able to keep pace with their younger counterparts; they're just not as masochistic or visibly youthful." But Feras Elkhalil, president of recruitment firm IT/IQ in Van- couver, said there's a major short- age of talent when it comes to tech workers. "Really, what our clients are looking for is they want the right skill, people that have that skill, and they want the right culture fit — those are the two things they're after. And age aside, they just want the job done," he said. "So is there ageism or is it really a skill gap?" If there's a shortage of talent, employers can't be picky, said Elkhalil. "Don't get me wrong, there's a certain level of cultural fit and I want someone that represents my business best but, at the same time, if you've got the skills and you're representative of my cul- ture and values or you're just aligned with my values, were go- ing to hire you," he said. "And that's what we see out there, skill trumps all, really." What's behind the bias? There could be a few factors behind the bias, according to Weisbeck. For one, it could be a financial decision, as there's an assumption younger workers are cheaper. "e salary expectations for a 25-year-old are much different than a 45-year-old," he said. Tech employers also lean to- wards using a certain language that appeals to younger work- ers, such as "digital natives," said Weisbeck. "What it means is you grew up with a smartphone, you grew up with the internet, so these things are intuitive to you," he said. "Perhaps the good behind that assumption is that if you grew up SOME > pg. 16 Credit: Uladzik Kryhin (Shutterstock)

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