Is Information Technology Ageist?

A new poll of IT professionals has thrown up some interesting results. The word on the street is that the older you are in IT – the harder it is to keep or find a job.

Those who have hit the big 5 0 seem to be worst off. When asked how secure they felt in their jobs – this sample of IT professionals made it clear that the younger they were the more secure they felt. 7 out of 10 of those under 50 felt “secure” or “very secure”, however, amongst the over 50’s this number fell to just 3 out of 10.

On top of lower job security the poll also revealed that those over 50 were also taking longer to find employment in the first place. Only 19% of youngsters took more than 3 months to secure an IT job, whereas over 33% of the over 50’s struggled to secure in a job in the same amount of time.

IT is perceived as a young industry mainly due to the speed in which it develops – but is this an reason to be leaving experienced and talented professionals behind?

The general consensus amongst the IT professionals polled was that the industry is stricken with ageism (9 out of 10 felt this way). Do you agree? Are you over 50 and struggling to find a job? Let us know your experiences ….