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Hatzel<\/span> & Buehler,\u00a0which has locations in eight states and Washington, D.C., declined Construction Dive\u2019s request for comment. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n According to court documents, in May 2021, the vice president contacted the unnamed recruiting company about two positions at Hatzel & Buehler\u2019s New Jersey branch: electrical estimator and project manager. He allegedly told the recruiter the company would not consider candidates with over 25 years of experience.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n For instance, one applicant was 65 years old with more than 32 years of experience in September 2021 when he applied for the positions, but the New Jersey vice president allegedly spoke to the recruiter \u201cand stated words to the effect that [he] was too old to be hired for the position,\u201d according to the court documents.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n In another case, a 58 year old with 12 years of electrical estimating experience applied for a job in August 2021. The vice president reportedly forwarded the applicant\u2019s r\u00e9sum\u00e9 to Hatzel & Buehler\u2019s chief estimator, with a note calling attention to how long ago the person had started work and a guess about his age.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The New Jersey vice president told the recruiter he didn\u2019t hire the estimator because he found his clothing was not presentable, but told the EEOC he didn\u2019t hire him because his experience was not the type of work Hatzel & Buehler performed.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The EEOC\u2019s lawsuit also charges that the vice president failed to retain job applicant and hiring-related records in violation of federal law.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Age in construction<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAmerican workers are staying in the workforce longer than ever before,\u201d Debra Lawrence, regional attorney for the EEOC\u2019s Philadelphia office, said in the release. \u201cIt is imperative that the EEOC protect the rights of older workers to be free from age discrimination at every step of the employment process.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Since 2022, EEOC has intensified its scrutiny<\/a>\u00a0on reports of discrimination at construction firms, and designated the sector as an area of concern in its five-year enforcement plan.<\/p>\n Construction\u2019s need for workers could worsen as the median age of those already in the industry continues to rise.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n In 2022, the median age of construction and extraction occupations workers was 41.2. About 45% of construction workers are 45 and older, according to the most recent <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Bureau of Labor Statistics<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> data available.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n As the median age rises and skilled workers retire, there are fewer qualified, experienced workers to take their place.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Experts have emphasized<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> the need to increase recruiting tactics for younger workers while pushing for data capture or documentation from experienced construction workers, in order to avoid a \u201cbrain drain.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n