In Missouri, state court judges are required to retire at age 70. Yet, our new President-elect will be beginning his term at the age of 70. Bernie Sanders is 74, the age at which most people have long-since retired. Employers oftentimes force older workers out or refuse to hire people in their 50s. So what is going on? People do live longer. In Missouri and federal court, workers protected against age discrimination can be as young as 40. In Missouri, though, once the older worker turns 70, he or she is no longer protected. Do what you want with a 70 year old, as long as he is not president.
There are pluses and minuses of both older and younger workers. Here is what I see as the benefits of workers 50 and over. Of course, these are gross generalizations.
Older workers are:
1. More loyal;
2. More confident;
3: More experienced at problem solving;
4. Wiser;
5. Less distracted.
Younger workers are:
1. More confident with technology;
2. More flexible about changes in environment, jobs, assignments;
3. Learn fast;
4. Have more energy.
Generally, and I am really generalizing here, young and older workers have a lot to give employers. Obviously, many people retire later and later and bring a wealth of historic knowledge to the workplace. Donal Trump - 70, his Cabinet's average age in the late 60's, Supreme Court justices in their 80's. The cap on age discrimination cases at the age of 70 is antiquated. We need workers of all ages, not just young ,"energetic" ones. ("Energetic" is a code word for "young.").
