Nearly Two-Thirds of Workers Over 50 Say They’ve Encountered Age Bias

Age discrimination remains widespread in the American workplace, with nearly two-thirds of workers over 50 saying they have seen or experienced it, according to recent research highlighting the challenges facing an aging U.S. workforce.

An AARP survey of 1,656 workers age 50 and older found 64% had seen or experienced age discrimination in the workplace, while 22% felt they were being pushed out of their jobs because of their age. Among those reporting age bias, 91% said discrimination against older workers was common.

The findings come as older Americans are playing a larger role in the labor market and remaining employed later in life. They also show that many of the concerns facing older workers involve less explicit forms of discrimination that can be difficult to identify or address.

Age Bias Often Takes Subtle Forms

AARP found that 60% of workers 50-plus reported experiencing at least one subtle form of age discrimination in both 2024 and 2025. The experiences occurred during job searches, workplace meetings, interactions with senior leaders and other parts of working life.

Among the most common stereotypes, 33% of respondents reported encountering assumptions that older employees were less technologically capable, while 24% encountered assumptions that older workers resisted change. Another 20% said their accomplishments or expertise had gone unacknowledged.

The findings have remained relatively consistent across AARP’s recent survey waves, suggesting that perceptions of age discrimination have persisted despite changes in the labor market and increased attention to workplace inclusion.

Older Workers Face Longer Job Searches

Labor-market data show another potential disadvantage for older workers: the amount of time it can take to find a new position after becoming unemployed.

Workers ages 45 to 54 were unemployed for an average 32.5 weeks, while those ages 55 to 64 averaged 32.3 weeks, according to AARP’s analysis of federal employment data. Workers 65 and older averaged 31.3 weeks.

The average across all age groups was 23.7 weeks.

The longer unemployment periods come as many older Americans expect age to complicate future job searches. Separate AARP research found 74% of older adults believed their age would be a barrier to getting a new job, including 42% who considered it a major barrier.

Reported experiences extend beyond perceptions. Since turning 40, 27% of older workers surveyed said they had not been hired for a job because of their age, 22% said they had been passed over for a promotion or opportunity to advance, and 16% reported being laid off, fired or forced out because of age.

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The Technology Gap Is Narrowing

Technology remains one of the most persistent areas of perceived age bias, but recent research indicates that differences in technology training between older and younger workers have narrowed substantially.

A joint AARP and LinkedIn analysis found younger workers were 13.5% more likely than older workers to participate in LinkedIn Learning courses in 2022. By 2025, that gap had fallen to 1.6%.

The research also found evidence of technology knowledge moving in both directions across generations. About 40% of younger workers said they relied on older colleagues for updates on technology trends, while 30% relied on them for help understanding and integrating artificial intelligence into their work.

Additional AARP research has highlighted the potential role of older employees in workplace AI adoption, including the value of institutional knowledge and experience as employers integrate the technology.

Older Workers Are Becoming More Economically Important

The workplace findings are unfolding alongside a broader demographic shift.

Americans over 50 accounted for 43% of U.S. gross domestic product in 2024, or approximately $12.5 trillion, according to AARP’s 2026 Longevity Economy Outlook. The organization expects the economic influence of the 50-plus population to continue growing as the country ages.

Retention data also suggest older employees tend to remain with employers longer. Among workers hired in June 2024, 85.4% of employees age 50 and older remained with the same employer one year later, compared with 70.6% of workers under 50, according to AARP research.

The latest findings depict a workforce in transition. Older Americans are remaining economically active, technology-training differences are narrowing and experienced employees are demonstrating relatively high retention.

At the same time, 64% of workers 50-plus continue to report seeing or experiencing age discrimination at work.

Together, the data show that the growing economic and workplace role of older Americans is occurring alongside persistent concerns about how age affects hiring, advancement and treatment on the job.