In this photo taken Aug. 23, 2013, David Mintz poses for The Associated Press inside his business, Tofutti, in Cranford, N.J. Mintz, the Tofutti CEO, maker of dairy-free products, says he wants his employees at Tofutti to have the trademarks of youth: energetic and enthusiastic, fresh thinking and quick to catch on, able to work at a frenzied pace, starting the day early and working late. He's finding them in older workers. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Older people searching for jobs face stereotypes that they lack the speed, technology skills and dynamism of younger applicants. But with many aging baby boomers staying in the workforce longer, some employers are finding older workers are ideal hires.
About 200 companies, from Google to AT&T, have signed an AARP pledge recognizing the value of experienced workers and vowing to consider applicants 50 and older. Hundreds of other companies have done the same, informally, after positive experiences hiring older people.
Experts say stereotypes about older workers are typically unfounded and statistics show older workers outpace younger ones in most metrics.
Nevertheless, surveys show older people believe they experience age discrimination in the job market. Although unemployment is lower among older workers, long-term unemployment is far higher.
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