Graying workforce creates more complex world for employers

The economic forces reshaping the global economy are prompting many local companies to pay new attention to an often overlooked form of diversity: The age of their workers.

Since 1980, the median age of American workers has been steadily increasing, as the flood of Baby Boomers who entered the workforce in the ’60s and ’70s remain in their jobs.

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(Evy Mages/For Capital Business) - Brian Connolly leads a class in computer software development at Multivision.

Some companies are finding the skills of those older workers don’t always match the demands of the modern marketplace. For instance, as companies try to integrate social media and digital advances into their operations, their recruitment efforts often lead them to hire younger workers.

Keeping younger and older workers on board was relatively easy to do when the times were good. But as the economy slowed in recent years, it has become more difficult for companies to maintain the right blend.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Washington field office reported this year that the number of age-related discrimination charges filed has jumped from 160 in fiscal 2002 to 372 in fiscal 2011, after hitting 414 in 2008.

It’s common for cases to increase when the economy sours, often because of complaints that companies are pushing out older workers and retaining younger ones. Firms at times weigh cutting older workers in hopes of helping their bottom lines because long-time staff members often command higher salaries.

“First of all it’s illegal, and secondly it’s bad business practice because if you eliminate your more experienced workers you lose an awful lot of knowledge and ability,” said Robert R. Niccolini, who is based in Ogletree Deakins’ D.C. office and specializes in employment litigation.

Even companies that play by the rules can find it difficult to navigate the changing demographics of the labor force in the current economy. Young job hunters can find it difficult to break into industries where openings are scarce.

The workforce has aged significantly over the past several decades. The median age of the employed dipped to its lowest point in the past 60 years around 1980 at 35.3 years — most likely related to Baby Boomers settling in the workforce — but has been rapidly rising since, hitting 42 in 2010, according to data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The age gap can be more pronounced at the executive level. BLS data shows that the median age of the 1.5 million chief executives included in its 2010 survey hit 51.6, up from 46.7 in 2000.

Seeking a mix

Balancing a workforce can be difficult even for firms with a predominance of young workers. Some, such as those specializing in rapidly evolving industries such as information technology, can struggle to find veteran talent.

Take Fairfax-based Multivision, whose workforce has always skewed young. Close to half of its nearly 275 employees are between the ages of 31 and 35, and as of three years ago, the company had only one employee over the age of 50.

The company has started a program to retrain long-time workers, many of whom had other technology-related careers or specialize in outdated programs, in order to benefit from their broader experiences.