Age Discrimination Flourishes in Mexico Chris Hawley and Sergio Solache - The Arizona Republic
go to original June 12, 2014

MEXICO CITY - When his employer went belly-up five years ago, flight attendant Javier Vazquez should have had no problem getting another job.

His résumé was stellar: eight years of experience, fluency in three languages and a hard-to-get U.S. traveler's visa. Plus, air travel was booming in Mexico, creating a demand for flight attendants.

There was only one problem: Vazquez was 37. And in Mexico, where blatant age discrimination is not only tolerated but expected, people over 35 need not apply.

Although slimy hiring practices are widespread in Mexico — want ads for female secretaries with "good presentation" are notorious — age discrimination is the most common, labor-rights groups say.

The practice robs Mexico's economy of experienced workers, discourages people from investing time in post-graduate degrees that could help the country advance and drives professionals into the vast, untaxed sector of odd jobs and street vending, experts said. It also happens to be illegal, but Mexico's labor laws are rarely enforced.

"The government doesn't care about this problem," Vazquez said. "They prefer that people continue to emigrate."

Mexican authorities admit they are lax in enforcing laws against age discrimination.

Read the rest at ABC News

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