Older Adults Are Looking for Jobs, but Age Discrimination Hampers the Search

In a Senate hearing, AARP pushes Congress to protect workers from bias

Miriam Cross,

AARP

Comments

Published September 04, 2025

Nancy LeaMond testifies before the Senate Special Committee on Aging.

Greg Kahn for AARP

Age discrimination in the workplace can be as blatant as an interviewer probing for an applicant’s age or as subtle as coded terms like “digital native” in job advertisements.

Older job seekers are often told they are overqualified or have too much experience, and they worry their age will count against them, Nancy LeaMond, AARP chief advocacy and engagement officer, told U.S. Senate lawmakers Sept. 3.

“Simply put, sidelining workers is a loss we cannot afford,” LeaMond said in testimony before the Senate Special Committee on Aging. The hearing was organized by ranking member Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) to focus on age discrimination in the workplace.

About two-thirds of workers 50-plus have seen or experienced age discrimination in the workplace, according to a 2024 AARP survey. The rates are even higher for Black workers and women over 50. These snubs are damaging to older adults who want or need to stretch out their years on the job: Workers age 75 and older are the fastest-growing age group in the workforce, according to the Pew Research Center.

Join Our Fight Against Age Discrimination

Sign up to become an AARP activist on issues important to people 50 and older, including age discrimination.
Find out more about how we’re fighting for you every day in Congress and across the country.
AARP is your fierce defender on the issues that matter to people 50-plus. Become a member or renew your membership today.

Age discrimination also impacts the country at large: Research conducted by AARP and the Economist Intelligence Unit found that bias against older workers cost the U.S. economy an estimated $850 billion in gross domestic product in 2018, a number that could rise to $3.9 trillion by 2050.

That’s why AARP is fighting for legislation and programs that protect older workers, ensure fair treatment and highlight the value and expertise they bring to an organization.

Rick Scott (R-Fla.), chairman of the Senate committee, echoed this sentiment during his opening remarks.

“Age discrimination is clearly wrong. It’s stupid,” he said. “Looking at someone’s age instead of the value they bring to an organization makes zero sense.”

How older workers get sidelined

Adults 50-plus are actively hunting for new jobs. About a quarter of those surveyed by AARP in 2024 reported they planned to switch roles in 2025, up from 14 percent the year before. Three-quarters of respondents worried their age would be held against them, while one-third were concerned that AI could affect their job security.

In fact, artificial intelligence–driven algorithms may screen out candidates who appear to be older, LeaMond said in her testimony.

“Algorithms used to scan résumés and applications can accelerate bias using graduation dates or years of experience as proxies for age,” she said during the hearing.

Gretchen Carlson testifies before the Senate Special Committee on Aging.

Greg Kahn for AARP

Discrimination against older workers is often felt in subtler ways, as well. In AARP’s 2024 age discrimination survey, older adults noted several signals that their presence was less valued, such as jokes about generational differences or assumptions that they are technologically inept.

Restoring protections, ending arbitration

AARP is taking action to address this problem.

On a national scale, AARP has supported several bipartisan bills that defend older adults against age discrimination.

The Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act would restore protections that a 2009 U.S. Supreme Court decision stripped away from older workers. That decision required older workers to prove their age was the sole reason they experienced an adverse employment action. The bipartisan bill was reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate in May, and AARP sent letters to the House and Senate sponsors endorsing the bill.
The Protecting Older Americans Act lets workers pursue age discrimination claims in court rather than funneling them into forced arbitration. AARP endorsed the bipartisan bill in 2023 and sent a letter supporting its reintroduction on September 3.
The Protect Older Job Applicants Act would expand protections under previous age discrimination legislation to include people who are applying for jobs, before they have reached the hiring stage. AARP supported the proposed legislation in 2023 and is urging its reintroduction.

On the state level, AARP has backed legislation in states including Connecticut and Oregon that ban employers from asking questions in job applications that could reveal age. AARP has won funding in other parts of the country for retraining programs for older workers.

“Passing bipartisan reforms to strengthen age discrimination protections, promoting inclusive use of AI and supporting age-diverse workplaces will allow older Americans to continue to contribute to, and meet the demands of, our economy,” LeaMond said in her written testimony.

Nancy LeaMond talks with members of AARP's Capitol Hill Strike Force after a hearing organized by the Senate Special Committee on Aging.

Greg Kahn for AARP

Both companies and individuals can find resources through AARP to help them thrive in an equitable workplace. Employers can join the AARP Employer Pledge Program to show their commitment to building an age-inclusive workforce and access related resources; more than 2,000 businesses have taken the pledge thus far. Job seekers can start with AARP’s Job Search resources.

LeaMond noted during her testimony that when she met AARP volunteers that morning before heading to the hearing, one person thanked her for testifying because she’d had her own experience with age discrimination.

“That’s what I hear everywhere,” LeaMond said. “The emotional toll of losing your job — so much of it is your identity, your social group, your income and the ability to have health insurance. It’s all woven together.”

%{postComment}%