Castronovo & McKinney’s Guide to Age Discrimination in New Jersey
At Castronovo & McKinney, we are committed to eliminating age discrimination in New Jersey in all its forms. Given the challenges of proving an age discrimination claim, it is crucial to have an accomplished employment law attorney at your side. As the statistics below indicate, age discrimination can occur at any point in the employment relationship and may involve being harassed, forced to retire, wrongfully terminated, or merely being treated differently than younger workers.
When filling out online applications, one study found older adults were brought in for interviews at a rate similar to younger applicants.
After a face to face interview however, the older candidates were offered jobs at a rate 40% lower than younger candidates with similar skills.
More men than women believe age to have been a factor in finding a new job or advancing their career.
Why is this so important
29% of U.S. households headed by someone age 55 or older have no retirement savings or pension, meaning they’ll have to continue working or rely on Social Security to survive.
Older people who don’t feel useful are…
3x
more likely to develop a disability
4x
more likely to die prematurely
compared with counterparts who do feel useful,
according to a 2007 study published in the Journals of Gerontology.
What you need to know
It is against the law for an employer to do any of the following based on your age:
Harass
Fire you
Lay you off
Force you
to retire
Treat you
differently
If you are between ages of
an employer may not consider your age in making hiring or promotion decisions.
Between 1997 and 2018,
423,000
U.S. workers
FILED AGE DISCRIMINATION CLAIMS WITH THE EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISION
IN 2019, GOOGLE PAID
$11 Million
TO SETTLE THE CLAIMS OF MORE THAN 200 JOB APPLICANTS WHO SAID THEY WERE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST
By 2024,
workers aged 55 and older will represent
25%
OF THE NATION’S WORKFORCE WITH THE FASTEST ANNUAL GROWTH RATES AMONG THOSE AGED 65-AND-OLDER.
Let's focus on New jersey
New Jersey ranks:
21st
in Workplace Discrimination Complaints
19th
in age-related Discrimination Complaints
AARP surveyed people over the age of 40 from New Jersey and found that…
92%
of respondents agree that nobody should be forced to retire because of age
New Jersey protects residents 70 and older from being forced out of a job simply because of their age.
The Senate unanimously approved the bill, (A681) 40-0. It passed the Assembly in March by a 71-0-0 vote. As of October 5, 2021, Gov. Phil Murphy signed this bill into law. The bill was first introduced in the previous Legislative session in the 2018-19 session and passed in the Senate, but it stalled in the Assembly before it was pushed through to the governor's office.
Conclusion
As mentioned above, the state legislature is considering a bill that would provide greater legal protections for older workers against employment discrimination and wrongful termination. In the meantime, the best way to protect your employment rights is to have the powerful representation we provide. Our legal team has a proven history of achieving significant settlements and jury awards, having recovered millions of dollars for our clients. Contact our office today so we can start working on your age discrimination claim.
