Worried You’re Being Pushed Out of Your Job? You’re Not Alone

Older workers are trapped between age discrimination and a tough job market, an AARP survey finds

Matt Swenson,

AARP

Comments

Published March 02, 2026

an illustration of two businesswomen standing at an eleveator door

Rob Dobi

Nearly a quarter of workers age 50-plus feel like they are being pushed out of their jobs even though workforce trends suggest employers should be encouraging and supporting staff of all ages, according to a new survey from AARP Research.

The results show that age bias remains a persistent challenge for workers age 50 and older, whose fear of losing their current job is compounded by the worry that age discrimination would prevent another employer from hiring them.

“We are part of an environment and a society that is obsessed with youth,” says Carly Roszkowski, vice president of financial resilience programming at AARP. “We need to be really trying to break down those barriers and those stereotypes across all generations.”

Join Our Fight Against Age Discrimination

Sign up to become an AARP activist for the latest news and alerts on issues you care about.
Find out more about how we’re urging Congress to protect workers from age bias.
AARP is your fierce defender on the issues that matter to people 50-plus. Become a member or renew your membership today.

The new poll of 1,656 workers age 50-plus was conducted last summer and published in late January 2026. In addition to the 22 percent of respondents who felt they were being pushed out of work, about two-thirds (64 percent) reported seeing or experiencing age discrimination in the workplace. Of those who have seen or experienced it, nearly all (91 percent) believe age discrimination toward older workers is common, including 36 percent who say it is very common.

Age bias crosses racial and gender boundaries, affecting all groups equally. As a result, unless the cycle stops, it is something all workers will face in their lifetime, notes Roszkowski.

“This is the one discrimination that we all will go through,” she says. “We are all aging.”

Many workers experience subtle forms of age bias

The challenges described in the AARP survey come as more older workers are seeking to stay employed and businesses should be more reliant on talent of all ages. Because Americans are having fewer children, the U.S.–born labor force is shrinking, according to studies from the Economic Policy Institute and others. On the other end, the people are living healthier, longer, which should provide opportunities for people 50-plus to continue their careers.

Most Popular

But age bias begins to be felt by employees as soon as their late 30s and early 40s in certain industries, according to Roszkowski. AARP’s survey finds that many workers report experiencing subtle forms of age discrimination, such as assuming older employees are less tech-savvy (33 percent), assuming older employees are resistant to change (24 percent in 2025), not acknowledging older employees’ accomplishments or expertise (20 percent), making jokes about different generations (21 percent) and giving preference to younger employees for training (20 percent). The results are within two points of those from a 2024 AARP survey, indicating little progress has been made despite a rapidly changing workforce..

Roszkowski said it is a good idea for employees to record instances of discrimination because employes 40-plus are covered under both the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act.

Experienced workers are building tech skills

Several studies, including a 2025 report by Northwestern Mutual, show that more than half of Generation X members don’t think they have saved enough money to retire at a traditional age of 65. One result of that shortfall is an increasing number of older Americans are “job hugging,” or clinging to their positions and employers as long as possible, notes Roszkowski.

Roszkowski encourages employers to embrace this increased willingness to work later in life, noting it can help an organization’s bottom line.

“Hiring new people costs a lot of money,” Roszkowski says. “Older workers tend to stay longer and show more loyalty.”

Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows a steady increase in the numbers of workers between 60 and 70 years old since 2000. The trend is expected to continue through the end of this decade, since 74.9 percent of adults in their late 50s are predicted to be part of the workforce in 2030, as are 62.4 percent of 60-to-64-year-olds. Overall, 38.6 percent of Americans 55-plus will be in the labor pool by 2030, BLS projects.

While the perception may be that older workers are hesitant to embrace new technology, research suggest the opposite may be true. A report from LinkedIn and AARP reveals that workers age 50 and older are keeping up, essentially closing the tech gap with their younger peers. Over the past five years, the number of workers 50-plus who listed technologies like AI in their job skills on LinkedIn increased by 25 percent, nearly double the growth rate for younger workers.

There are other prominent signs of older employees’ willingness to learn and adapt to today’s work environments. AARP's Multigenerational Workforce report finds that mature workers relish the opportunity to pass on their knowledge. In the report, 86 percent of respondents say mentorship was important to their professional growth, highlighting its central role in career development.

They add that working with younger colleagues allows them the chance to share their experience and knowledge (87 percent), gain new perspectives (85 percent), better understand different communication styles (83 percent) and boost creativity in the workplace (78 percent).

Such positive feelings are reciprocal within multigenerational offices. Younger workers say collaborating with older colleagues offers a fresh perspective (87 percent), opportunities to learn new skills (85 percent) and insights into different communication styles (82 percent) and contributes to a more productive work environment (78 percent).

“There’s a need to create a culture that works for all employees at all ages,” says Roszkowski. “Embracing a multigenerational workforce has positives for your bottom line, your creativity and your innovation.”

%{postComment}%