How do you, either as an individual or as a company, deal with "aging" phenomenon?
To me, the simplest answer seems to be building your own business so you don't have to worry whether you'll still be employable at 50 or 55.
But let me use my own country as an example:
In Slovakia, the retirement age is around 65, and it keeps increasing. At the same time, our pension system is under pressure because there aren't enough working people to support it, but that's a separate discussion.
The reality is that many people over the age of 45 already struggle to find new jobs. They're often perceived as less adaptable, "too senior," or not as young and dynamic as younger candidates.
As a result, many stay in companies they no longer enjoy simply because changing jobs feels risky.
That's actually why I asked yesterday about how often people switch jobs.
In some cultures (Japan is a good example), older members of society are highly respected for their experience.
But if we're being realistic, experience from the past doesn't always translate into leading technological innovation.
Today, many of the people setting the agenda in technology seem to be under 30, or at least that's how I see it.
How should we approach ageing and preventing "ageing unemployment"?
Not only from the perspective of an individual who wants to remain employable, but also from the perspective of a company. On one hand, rejecting older candidates can feel discriminatory. On the other hand, companies need to keep growing and adapting.
So what's the secret ingredient? Is it continuous learning? Investing in training? Reskilling? Designing roles differently? How can companies ensure that experienced employees continue to create value, while also staying competitive in a rapidly changing world?
Replies
Building a business is not a universal solution; it only changes the type of risk.
The real issue is not age, but whether experience stays updated. Individuals must keep learning, while companies must stop valuing only speed, novelty and lower salaries.
The strongest teams combine younger employees’ familiarity with new tools and older employees’ judgment, context and ability to avoid expensive mistakes.
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@marius_stoicescu do you think that older people are flexible enough to learn? Because I noticed the pattern that many are quite avoidant.
@busmark_w_nika It depends on how they are built, in my country after 35 years no one learns anymore. I recommend everyone to learn one thing every day from any field and repeat it at night before going to bed. People don't understand something, you can add skills to your daily life that will change your life. For example, you start tailoring and learn (I got to sewing pockets on jackets :) ) - And this can help you in various fields from finance to any other. Our mind works in a strange way and uses pieces of everything we learn + creatine daily :)
Should bussinesses create mixed age teams so both fresh ideas and practical knowledge grow together naturally?
@darly_selby love the idea of the mixed teams. This creates room for both knowledge and growth.
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@darly_selby One of the solutions, but there should be a diverse ratio and "close" ages for each group, otherwise there will be generational gap.
I think experience brings a lot that is often underestimated based on age.
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@alihabib_ yes, but in this era, people in 21 have more experience than some people in their 41 :D
@busmark_w_nika That is so true ...
The optimistic part of me thinks (hopes) that AI will swoop in and automate most of the jobs, physical and digital, and I will be sipping a Piña Colada on a beach :P.
The realistic part thinks that I need to keep learning different skills and diversify into products and teaching. Invest in the right wealth creation assets. Focus on what AI can't do—empathize and solve new problems.
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@roopesh_donde i think that the part with pina colada is quite very far from the reality :D
@busmark_w_nika As per the Godfathers of AI, in numerous podcasts it's either Skynet or Pinacolada on a beach. There is no middle path :).
@roopesh_donde I remember an interview from one of the founding fathers of AI, where he said skills that cannot be replaced, such as 'plumbing,' will be sought after in the coming years. Any thoughts?
@sonal_waghchoure I think Geoffrey Hinton said that on Dairy of a CEO. I'm ready to learn plumbing; all I need is for data centers to leave us with enough water to do so. :P
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@thomas_ogun You sound very adventurous and actually adventurous people are curious enough to stay in the game longer :D
I agree with your first point: Building and growing your own business is the best way to insulate yourself from ageism. It doesn't eliminate risk, but it does put more of your future under your own control instead of leaving it entirely in someone else's hands.
That said, I think you're asking exactly the right question, because this isn't really an "age" problem—it's an adaptability problem.
Technology has dramatically shortened the shelf life of skills. Whether you're 25 or 55, if you stop learning for a few years, you can become obsolete. The difference is that younger workers often get the benefit of the doubt, while older workers have to prove they're still evolving.
I also think companies leave a lot on the table when they optimize only for youth. Experience isn't just knowing what to do—it's recognizing patterns, avoiding expensive mistakes, navigating uncertainty, and understanding customers at a deeper level. Those things don't show up on a résumé as easily as the latest framework or AI tool.
The best organizations I've seen create cultures where learning is expected at every age. Likewise, the most successful professionals I've met treat reinvention as a permanent job description. Curiosity ages far better than any specific skill set.
In the AI era, I actually think this becomes an opportunity. AI is lowering the barrier to learning new disciplines, which means experienced people can adapt faster than ever—provided they're willing to stay curious. That's an encouraging shift.
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@billspaced for younger people, it is easier to be updated with new technologies. Still, older people have it worse; they already have some limits, they have their families, so they probably will not have so much time to learn as the younger individuals.
I don't have a clean answer for this, but from hiring and building teams over the years, adaptability just doesn't track with age the way people assume. Some of the fastest learners I've worked with were well past 45, and some of the most set-in-their-ways people I've met were 28. What actually seemed to matter was whether someone was still curious about the work itself.
The company side is harder and I do get the pressure. But a lot of what gets read as not adaptable is really just someone who got moved away from the actual work years ago and never got to touch it since. Keep experienced people close to what's being built and a lot of it doesn't come up.
For myself I just try to stay a bit uncomfortable. Keep learning things I'm bad at, work with people who know more than me about something. Not really a plan, more a habit.
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@johnsongill I think that is mostly happening in bigger corporate structures when they think they cannot be seen so well cause there are many people, but once someone is redundant, they will start with people who do not bring innovations.
I feel companies should measure people by results instead of age because performance tells the real story. Why not provide regular training for every employee so everyone keeps growing through changing technology?
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@jason_scott8 Sounds good, tho we should need some examples from the practice, younger people always have more time to tinker around and lurking to observe things. Older people have their duties, families so it is a little bit limited for them. I suppose.
me sees mentoring as valuable becasue everyone learns something. Should experienced workers also learn directly from younger colleagues through shared projects?
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@rajveer_raj I think yes, and honestly think that it is the model that will be very common in the future.
Why do many companies expect flexibility without offering enough training or time to build new skills?
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@stacey_connolly2 That's true, not so many are able to invest their time into that :)