Here's something that might keep you up tonight: the way you hit your spacebar could be flagging you as "too old" before a human ever sees your resume.
I'm not kidding.
If you learned to type on a typewriter : or were taught by someone who did : you probably hit the spacebar twice after every period. It's muscle memory. You don't even think about it. But artificial intelligence does.
The Lawsuit That's Pulling Back the Curtain
A federal court recently authorized a class action lawsuit against Workday, one of the biggest names in HR software. The allegation? Their AI hiring tools are unlawfully screening out qualified applicants over 40.
Let that land for a second.
Companies can claim their hiring process is neutral, unbiased, data-driven. But when that "neutral" technology is trained to spot patterns : like double-spacing after periods : it's not neutral at all. It's using proxies for age. And that's exactly what this lawsuit argues.
The double-space habit is a typewriter-era convention. Anyone under 35 probably never learned it. But for millions of us? It's baked into how we write. And now it might be working against us in ways we never imagined.
The Numbers Nobody Wants to Talk About
This isn't just about formatting quirks. The structural discrimination runs deep.
According to Forbes, over half of U.S. workers aged 50 and older are laid off or forced out of their jobs before they planned to retire. Half. And here's the gut punch: those who lose their jobs after 50 rarely regain their prior income level.
The unemployment timelines are longer. The opportunities are fewer. And the system that's supposed to help us find work? It might be actively filtering us out.
This isn't paranoia. This is data.
Fear Is Keeping People Stuck
Here's where it gets personal.
According to HR Executive, over 40% of workers believe their company will have layoffs in 2026. That fear is real, and it's keeping people glued to jobs that are draining them dry.
For workers over 50, that fear hits different. Because we know what the data says. We know the unemployment timelines. We know how hard it is to start over when the deck is stacked.
So people stay. In roles that don't fit. In environments that don't value them. Burning out quietly because the alternative feels worse.
That's survival mode. And it's exhausting.
So Where Does That Leave Us?
Look, I'm not here to sugarcoat this. The 2026 job market has real challenges for anyone over 50. The bias is baked into systems most hiring managers don't even understand.
But here's what I know: awareness is the first step toward agency.
You can update your typing habits. You can audit your resume for age markers. You can learn how these systems work so you're not blindsided by them.
More importantly, you can refuse to internalize the message that your experience is a liability. It's not. Decades of wisdom, resilience, and hard-won skills don't become worthless because an algorithm says so.
The system might be rigged. But you're not helpless.
You've navigated harder things than a spacebar.
Want the full story? Listen to today's Empower Over 50 News Today podcast.