by Michael S. James, Contributing Writer
To some, such phrases may seem innocuous or neutrally describe desirable traits in a job candidate or employee. But to older workers, such phrases in a job description may prompt them to seek opportunities elsewhere.
“Language is important,” says Gary A. Officer, president and CEO of CWI Works. “When you see terms written for job descriptions like digital native, culture fit, ability to work in a fast-paced office, older workers have told us … they come to the conclusion that those jobs were not intended for them and therefore they will likely not apply.”
And now, there are actual numbers showing how commonly older workers feel excluded. In fact, 46% of them say the term “culture fit” makes them feel a job is intended for another age group, according to the recent CWI Works Longevity Outlook. Forty-five percent say the same about “go-getter,” 41% about “digital native” and 36% about “high potential.”
Such language may not be as rare as it should be. A recent Kean University study identified age-biased language (and not just against older workers) in nearly 10% of job postings examined.
“In my years working with older Americans, I’ve seen coded ageist language become increasingly common in job descriptions,” says Ann Manby, chief workforce development officer at CWI Works. “Phrases like ‘digital native’ and ‘culture fit’ often reflect a bias toward younger workers. That bias can carry through the entire hiring process, including resume reviews, interviews, and hiring decisions.
“Employers may not intend to exclude older candidates,” she adds, “but this language signals to both job seekers and hiring managers that younger is better. Employers who take a fresh look at their job postings gain access to an untapped pipeline of highly qualified people with current digital skills and years of valuable experience.”
After all, older workers often share the same technical skills that false stereotypes associate with younger workers, according to the CWI Outlook, conducted by Ipsos with support from T-Mobile. For instance, 71% of Gen Xers, the cohort turning 46 to 61 years old in 2026, have used generative AI, a number on par with 74% for Millennials, who are in their 30s and early 40s.
Why Age-Diverse Teams Are Good for Business
Whether or not employers intend to filter out applicants using loaded terms in their recruiting, or only do so by accident, they are only hurting themselves by denying valuable perspectives from their teams, workforce development experts say.
“Older workers bring tremendous qualities that we often overlook: the ability to work in teams, the ability to problem solve, the ability to be patient and to work with different groups around them to achieve a common good,” Officer says in a video interview about the new CWI Works Longevity Workforce Outlook. “Those are unique talents that come with age and wisdom, and they bring that.”
Advocates also point to on-the-job experience, institutional knowledge sharing, mentoring and other factors older workers can add to teams.
Hiring older workers as part of a multi-generational workforce seems to make business sense, too. It’s been estimated that fostering age-diverse workforces has the power to raise GDP per capita by almost 19% in the next three decades, according to a 2020 study by the World Economic Forum, AARP and OECD (the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, an international economics organization).
Adding to the existing data, the new CWI Works Longevity Outlook finds that 62% of all adults say working with colleagues from different generations affects their work positively. And young adults, age 18-34, are most likely to say so.
“We found that about 68% of younger workers felt comfortable and appreciated the opportunity to work in an intergenerational workforce,” Officer says, “which for us is a telling statement about the qualities that they have experienced working with older workers, the quality they bring to the workforce and to team, and how they impact results. So that was a surprisingly positive view, but one that we appreciated.”
Opening the Door to Age-Inclusive Hiring
Even so, to build such a workforce, employers first must open the door.
“Older workers, once on the team, are bringing a tremendous amount of expertise, experience, wisdom and savvy that enhances the productivity and the success of teams,” Officer says. “And we have to find better ways of expanding the opportunity path and not limit the access that we have seen through job descriptions.”
Perhaps, he suggests, outreach to achieve a multigenerational workforce can be proactive.
“We see an environment where intentional recruiting can foster an intergenerational workforce,” Officer says. “And we see an environment where a shift towards skills-based hiring, which can elevate candidates based upon their knowledge and abilities rather than formal credentials like degrees, can also be positively used in the workforce of today. So the data informed by the survey, I think, tells a story about why it’s important to rethink our assumptions about why older workers should not be marginalized and ignored, but embraced.”
