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Age Discrimination, Indian-Style

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the tim's-run-approaches dept.

theodp writes "In April, IBM CEO Samuel Palmisano told investors Big Blue hopes to dodge an estimated $6 billion in liability stemming from a judge's ruling that IBM violated U.S. federal age discrimination laws. In May, IBM closes on its $150-$200MM purchase of Indian outsourcer Daksh, whose age requirements for job applicants make Logan's Run seem progressive. On its Opportunities page, Daksh states that Customer Care Specialists should be between 21-25 years of age and Team Leaders should be no older than 27. Early Daksh investors included Citigroup and we-don't-need-no-stinking-unions Amazon."

6 of 400 comments (clear)

  1. That's what is wonderful about outsourcing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If it's not legal in one country, just outsource to another where it is legal.

  2. Let's make one thing crystal clear by Henrik+S.+Hansen · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Let's make one thing crystal clear:

    The only reasons companies discriminate based on age is that younger people are easier to persuade to work harder, longer hours, and that they usually doesn't require as high pay as older, more experienced applicants.

    It is NOT because younger people are smarter or brighter than older people. And who says they are, anyway? IMO, any supposed loss in thinking quickly is easily made up by the experience and better problem solving skills of older people.

    1. Re:Let's make one thing crystal clear by Roland+Piquepaille · · Score: 5, Insightful

      younger people are easier to persuade to work harder, longer hours, and that they usually doesn't require as high pay as older, more experienced applicants.

      It is NOT because younger people are smarter or brighter than older people

      Younger people are not bright when it comes to refusing to work overtime so much that it destroys health and family life.

      I know that often they can't refuse to work hard, because jobs are hard to come by these days and some other youngster is ready to take the place, but also it's usually illegal to fire someone for refusing gross overtime. The only trouble for young people is how do you prove you were fired by your boss on that ground in court.

  3. Time to UNIONIZE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful
    This is outrageous, yes, but was it really unexpected? With all these companies outsourcing American IT jobs to the Far East, there is only one soultion, one that will keep American corporations from exploiting their workers, both at home and abroad: unionization.

    I've heard a lot of arguments against this in my time (many of them on Slashdot), and most of them boiled down to this: IT workers, as professionals, shouldn't unionize. Unions are for blue-collar workers. While I suppose this is a nice way to think about your job and make you feel better about paying tens of thousands of dollars a year for a degree in Information Studies, it's ignoring reality. Perhaps the best way I've seen someone put it is, in reply to someone complaining about needing a buzzword-compliant resume, that such requirements should be a clue that IT workers are now a commodity. Like it or not, IT is the new factory worker of the 21st century, and if IT workers don't wake up and unionize, they'll get screwed so fast their heads will spin.

    Maybe the AFL-CIO or UAW would be up to the task? They're only a postage stamp or a phone call away.

  4. Re:reverse age discrimination by Arcanix · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yes, this all sounds great but personally I would prefer not to have a bunch of kids who have no clue about the real world and no concept of responsibility be selecting who will run this country.

    The problem with 14-17 year olds is not in their lack of intelligence, but in their lack of common sense. I think the main issue is that the majority of kids do not support themselves and until they do the really shouldn't have much of a say in how things should go.

    I suppose I could possibly support a measure for them voting if they were not claimed as a dependent on anyone's tax return.

  5. Trust free markets by argoff · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If a company doens't hire someone because they're too old, then let them suffer the natural consequences of not getting the most effective people for the job. If a company hires a young person because they can pay them cheap and exploit them - make your own company, hire tham away, pay them more and pick the cream of the crop at will.

    Of course, sometimes companies take advantage of the system to expolit people, like communisim. Other times they take advantage of phoney property rights like copyright and patnet monopolies, other times they take advantage of false barriers to entry - like excessive regulation of the railroad industry, or RF frequencies. Not to mention our centralized monitary/tax system routinely rips people off, and locks people into the system when it comes to credit or money. - But from my experience, these problems have more to do with the publics poor belief systems than free markets.

    Moral: societies that have more libertarian values have more economic prosperity for the little guy.