Study confirms experience beats youthful enthusiasm

A growing body of research continues to show that older workers are generally more productive than younger employees.

Annie Coleman, founder of consultancy RealiseLongevity, analyzed the data and highlighted a 2025 study finding peak performance occurs between the ages of 55-60.

Writing in the Stanford Center on Longevity blog, she cited research examining 16 cognitive markers that confirm that although processing speed declines after early adulthood, other dimensions improve, and overall cognition peaks near retirement age.

Studies from the past 15 years show that some qualities like vigilance may worsen with age alongside processing speed, but others improve, including the ability to avoid distractions and accumulated knowledge.

These factors matter more as AI starts to eliminate jobs for grads and entry-level candidates, increasing the value of experienced workers who can mentor other employees.

A 2022 meta-analysis concluded that professional teams tend to function better when they have company veterans among them, as did Bank of America's findings [PDF] two years later.

Likewise, a Boston Consulting Group study in 2022 showed age-diverse teams outperformed homogeneous ones, with the best results coming when older workers' judgment combined with younger employees' digital skills.

So, in a working world that seemingly values youthful forward thinkers over experience - illustrated by the various age discrimination lawsuits across the tech industry - the current data shows organizations should be doing everything they can to keep their older staffers.

"In meeting their responsibility for long-term risk and growth, companies should begin with clarity. Map the age profile of the workforce by role and seniority," Coleman wrote. "Identify where people in their fifties and early sixties are exiting, and whether those exits reflect performance or design. Treat age as a strategic variable in the same way firms now treat gender, skills, or succession risk.

"Build roles and career paths that assume longer working lives. Invest in mid- and late-career reskilling, not as remediation but as renewal. Structure intergenerational teams deliberately, so experience and speed compound rather than collide. Align product, service, and brand strategy with the realities of an aging, wealthier customer base.

"None of this is about altruism. It is about reclaiming value currently being left on the table." ®