Age discrimination is often thought of as a problem for older workers, but does it also affect younger workers? Lately, there are signs that persistent myths and stereotypes about millennials are dampening the appetite for hiring younger people — with some companies reporting that they are reluctant to hire anyone under 40.  

This fear of younger workers is tied to attitudes that have sprung up about millennials — that age cohort that includes people born from the early 1980s to the early 2000s. These attitudes and stereotypes can include negative ideas such as thinking that young workers are lazy, unpredictable, unreliable, unprofessional, and not willing to follow the rules of workplace conduct. One particular fear that employers have is that young workers simply won't stick with a job once hired — that some other opportunity will catch their eye and they'll be off, leaving the employer high and dry.

"The common theme is a fear or a reluctance to hire people under 30, because they are unpredictable, and, 'they don't know how to work,'" says Cam Marston, author and founder of Generational Insights, a consulting firm that works with companies and employees on generational issues.