"The chances of people aged 40 and upward of finding employment in the high-tech sector are exceptionally low," says Erez Banovich, CEO of Manpower Israel Ltd. subsidiary Manpower Information Technologies Ltd. (MIT).
"The moment an employee older than 45 finds himself out of a job, whether as the result of being fired, a project coming to an end, or of his own volition, he will find it extremely difficult to find a new job because he will be up against younger competitors who are more in demand. An employer too, will probably have more in common with a candidate of a similar age to himself, than someone ten years solder," adds Banovich.
Banovich says that people born in 1964 and earlier are now leaving their date of birth out of their CVs, even though this is a standard detail. "I was told of someone who deliberately avoided mentioning his ID number for fear that they would find out his age, and he is only 48."
Globes: And what is it about the high-tech sector that sets it apart from other sectors where ageism is endemic?
Banovich: "In high-tech and especially in software development, experienced employees have a significant advantage, far more so than in other fields. There's a tremendous advantage in having staff who have years of experience and knowledge of the systems and applications. So the fact that there is still a preference for younger employees despite this is all the more noticeable.
"There needs to be change. It is a pity that this is how things are, because in large companies there is a great deal of value in having someone with a lot of experience under his belt on the development team alongside younger employees. What's more, older employees usually look for stability, they have grown-up children and they can dedicate themselves to their jobs. Some employees are not management material but they are nevertheless professional, experienced, and bring considerable value to the workplace," adds Banovich.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on January 13, 2008
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