Too Old for Tech? The Quiet Reality of Ageism in the UK IT Industry

In an industry known for disruption, innovation, and constant reinvention, it’s ironic that one thing rarely changes in the tech sector: the quiet but persistent bias against age.

While conversations about diversity in technology have gained momentum in recent years – particularly around gender, ethnicity, and socio-economic inclusion – age is often the overlooked frontier. But for many experienced IT professionals in the UK, it’s an elephant in the server room.

The Youth Culture of UK Tech

From London’s Silicon Roundabout to digital teams in regional enterprise hubs, the UK tech workforce skews young. According to the Office for National Statistics (2023), the average age in the information and communications sector is just 36—significantly younger than the UK’s national workforce average of 42.5.

This isn’t inherently a problem- technology is a magnet for young talent. But it becomes one when older professionals begin to vanish not because their skills are outdated, but because they’re perceived that way.

How Ageism Manifests (Even When No One Says It)

Ageism in tech is rarely explicit. Most hiring managers aren’t going to tell a 58-year-old candidate, “You’re not a fit because you’re older.” Instead, it shows up in more subtle, insidious ways:

Job ads calling for “digital natives,” “rockstars,” or “recent graduates”
Bias in applicant tracking systems that filter out CVs based on long career histories or legacy tech experience
Interview feedback citing “team fit” or “energy” without explaining what that actually means
Assumptions that older candidates are too expensive, too rigid, or not up to speed

In organisations driven by pace, scale, and cloud transformation, there can be an unspoken pressure to prioritise perceived agility over institutional knowledge.

The Problem with the “Outdated” Assumption

One of the most damaging myths in tech is that older professionals can’t keep up. But this stereotype falls apart when examined:

Many senior technologists have adapted through multiple paradigm shifts – from on-prem to cloud, from monoliths to microservices, from Waterfall to DevOps.
In fields like cybersecurity, data governance, infrastructure, and compliance, deep experience is not just helpful – it’s essential.
Age and curiosity are not mutually exclusive. Plenty of over-50s are contributing to open source, learning Kubernetes, deploying Terraform, or completing Microsoft certifications.

What’s often missing is not the skill – but the opportunity to demonstrate it, especially in a hiring environment tilted toward youth.

The Risk to the Industry

The UK is facing a well-documented digital skills shortage. A 2023 report by TechUK and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology highlighted that thousands of digital and IT roles remain unfilled each year, creating bottlenecks in public services, private sector growth, and cybersecurity resilience.

At the same time, millions of experienced professionals are being quietly sidelined.

That’s a strategic failure.

Every time the industry overlooks someone with decades of operational, architectural, or governance experience, it reinforces the idea that tech is a young person’s game. And that message discourages mid-career switchers, returners, and older professionals from even trying to stay in the sector.

If innovation requires diversity of thought, then age is part of the equation.

What Needs to Change?

To make the UK tech sector truly inclusive, age needs to be taken seriously as a dimension of diversity. That means:

For Employers:

Stop using coded language in job ads that implicitly signals age preference.
Ensure hiring panels are trained to spot and mitigate age-related bias.
Offer upskilling, cloud certifications, and leadership training to all employees – not just juniors.
Recognise the value of blended teams – where experience complements experimentation.

For the Industry:

Include age diversity in D&I reporting, alongside gender and ethnicity.
Celebrate senior contributors to open source, standards bodies, and mentorship networks.
Address age as a risk factor in redundancy strategies, especially in large-scale reorganisations.

A Smarter Future for Tech

The best teams aren’t just built with the newest skills – they’re built with the right balance of judgement, experience, and adaptability. Ageism undermines that balance.

As the UK tech industry matures, so should its attitudes to maturity itself.

It’s time to stop assuming that older means obsolete – and start recognising that in a world of fast-moving change, experience might just be one of the most underutilised superpowers in the sector.