Thirty-six percent of hiring managers admit to age bias against Gen Z candidates, 34 percent admit to age bias against senior candidates
ResumeBuilder.com, the premier resource for professional resume templates and career advice, has published a recent survey report exploring the prevalence of ageism in the workplace in 2024. The report also shares insight into hiring managers’ apprehensions regarding the employment of Gen Z or senior workers. Overall, researchers collected and analyzed responses from 1,000 hiring managers.
Based on survey findings, 42 percent of hiring managers take into account applicants’ ages when reviewing resumes. This group of hiring managers determines an applicant’s age range by examining the candidate’s years of experience, graduation year, and photo. While 60 percent of respondents say applicants should ‘always’ indicate their graduation year on their resume, 41 percent believe candidates ‘sometimes shouldn’t’ or ‘never should’ reveal this information.
“By scrutinizing education and work history timelines, employers may inadvertently introduce bias based on age, rather than focusing on the candidate’s qualifications and suitability for the role,” says Resume Builder’s Chief Career Advisor Stacie Haller. “Ageism remains a prevalent issue in the workforce, affecting individuals both early and later in their careers. Regrettably, many hiring managers continue to rely on age as a determining factor in their recruitment decisions. This practice presents a significant disadvantage, as one’s age should never dictate their potential for success in a role, provided they possess the requisite skills and experience.”
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Furthermore, 36 percent of hiring managers admit to having age bias against Gen Z applicants. Among this subset, 77 percent express concerns about their lack of experience, 63 percent about their propensity to change jobs frequently, and 58 percent about their perceived unprofessional attitude. Similarly, 34 percent of respondents admit to having age bias against senior candidates. Of this group, 74 percent raise concerns about their likelihood of retirement, 64 percent about their potential health issues, and 48 percent about their lack of experience with technology.
This survey was commissioned by ResumeBuilder.com and conducted online by the survey platform Pollfish. It launched on March 21, 2024, and 1,000 hiring managers completed the full survey. To qualify for the survey, all participants had to be older than 25, have a salary of more than $50,000, and work for a company with over 11 employees.
