WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- An aging U.S. population, a tough economy and a reliance on technology has given a boost to claims of age discrimination, legal advocates said.
The Michigan Department of Civil Rights said 1,245 complaints of age discrimination in 2008 were a 77 percent increase over 2008, when 703 complaints were recorded.
At the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a federal program, age-bias complaints rose 36 percent from 2005 to 2008, The Detroit News reported Thursday.
With increased use of computers at work, "the premium in this economy is getting the job done most quickly and efficiently and at the lowest cost. No age group has (cornered) the market on that," said attorney Steven Fishman, who represents companies in age-discrimination cases.
Further, "when things get tough, companies look for ways to reduce costs," said Sharon Davis, president of SeDA Consulting Inc.
"The longer the person stays in an operation, the more they cost," Davis said.
