Better to employ the young or the experienced?

In today’s ever-evolving workforce structures and requirements, aging can be a significant topic for discussion. The skill sets that young people offer to the workforce vary immensely from ones presented by older people, and so do crucial contributing factors such as work ethics, performance, expertise, technological proficiency, and stability. The question lies in whether the benefits of employing one age group greatly outweighs the other, or is embracing generational diversity the way to go. 

With the advancing role of technology in almost every field concerning human lives—including and prominently in the workforce—the youth of today seem to stand an advantage compared to the old. According to a study on digital literacy among different age groups published in the Journal of Communication Vol 5, in 2024, among 1,200 Korean participants, younger ones aged 18-35 demonstrated higher digital literacy compared to participants aged 50-65.

On the flipside, the expertise and experience of older people can simply not be matched by the younger ones. Due to the level of job security in the past—which has now been on the decline - the older employees have  mostly committed to one field of work, sometimes even to one firm. Such commitment ensures immense expertise in the respective field. According to a survey of 35,00 published in the Forbes, 43 percent of younger workers (18-24) say that they are scared of losing their job, 10 percent more than last year’s number. 

However, the lack of job security in recent years, especially after the pandemic, might be advantageous to the youth. As they are forced to switch between jobs, exposed to multiple fields of labor, and even take on multiple part-time jobs at once, the youth tend to carry a broader set of skills and an interdisciplinary understanding of matters. They are also—as is obvious—more skilled in physically-demanding fields, such as construction. 

Work ethics are seen to be more engraved in older people. According to an article from Effulgence published in July 2021, a study investigating work ethic across generations found the theory that older generations score higher in hard work to be true. Scores of hard work increased with age, with Gen Z (12-27) scoring 3.7 and Gen X (44-59) and Baby Boomer (60-69) scoring 4.0. 

With arguments working in favor of both young and old employees, it can be established that a diversity in the workforce ensures optimum productivity and results. While younger workers are more physically and technologically inclined with tendencies to engage in broader fields of work, older ones contribute with their expertise, experience, and impeccable ethics. A mixture of both can be deemed necessary for a successful workforce. 

Sadikshya Khadka

A-level graduate

Rato Bangala School