Age discrimination: Potential for adverse impact and differential prediction related to age

The proportion of workers in their 50s, 60s, and 70s is larger than ever before. Current workforce trends indicate global increases in retirement ages and that many individuals are working until later ages than in decades past, and older people are applying for jobs and at later ages. Research to date on age discrimination in selection has focused primarily on disparate treatment or intentional discrimination. However, based on accumulated knowledge about age-related changes in cognitive and physical abilities as well as changes in personality and work motivation across the life course, we suggest that more attention be paid to the possibility of age-based subgroup differences on selection procedures, manifested as adverse impact and differential prediction. We provide recommendations to guide future human resource management research and practice.