Talk to job seekers over age 40 and you'll hear stories about being rejected by potential employers for reasons that sound suspiciously like age discrimination.

        The issue carries special resonance in the high-tech industry, which prizes the innovation that young, creative minds bring to the workplace. For years, vocal groups of older techies have complained that, as they age, they are systematically excluded from top programming and engineering jobs because employers fear they will command too high a salary, work shorter hours and let their skills grow stale.

        But, in what has come as a surprise to industry observers, two recent authoritative reports contradict the widespread assumption that age discrimination pervades today's technology sector.

        The U.S. chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers released a study this month based on telephone interviews with 528 people, including personnel representatives, hiring managers and engineers — above and below age 45. Its conclusion: Age bias occurs far less frequently than one might imagine. Only 10 percent of the workers who reported having bad work experiences in the past five years attributed their troubles to age discrimination.

        “For most of us, that was somewhat surprising,” says John Steadman, IEEE's vice president for career activities, who also heads the University of Wyoming's department of electrical engineering. “Ten years ago, certainly IEEE found more cases where we needed to help our members get quick retraining or relocation assistance.”

        A report from the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences recently considered the issue of age bias in the tech sector but determined there was not enough evidence to draw scientific conclusions.

        “The committee cannot determine whether illegal age discrimination occurs either more or less in IT than in any other industry,” it said in its October report.

        “Just because people aren't reporting it doesn't mean it's not happening,” says Laurie McCann, a senior attorney at AARP, formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons, who regularly handles age-bias cases. “Most discrimination is in hiring, which is very difficult to prove. You don't know who was hired because you never got a response, unless you have somebody in the company tell you. Most people are not going to file a charge on a gut feeling.”

        The booming economy, which ushered in national unemployment rates lower than 4 percent, might be older workers' biggest ally, according to representatives from the engineering institute. But if the economy's much-hoped-for soft landing produces a few bumps in the next several quarters, techies over age 40 could feel a disproportionate amount of turbulence.

        “A downturn in the economy could seriously cloud job prospects for older engineers because of the unfortunate perception that they contribute less value than the younger engineers do,” says Shankar Lakhavani, an IEEE official and a Pittsburgh-based engineer. “This perception needs to be corrected.”

        Career experts say older technical workers can overcome these problems in the way they market themselves to potential employers. For instance, in the recent engineering study, hiring managers and personnel directors ranked veteran techies as having strong problem-solving and management skills. The hiring managers valued leadership and communication over knowing the hottest new computer language.

        Problem is, human resources officials who might not be proficient in technology often make decisions based on whether newer skill sets appear on a resume — not realizing that many older workers can learn new tricks in a quickie refresher course or two.

        “That's where the big disconnect occurs,” Mr. Steadman says. “Getting a new skill is a fairly short-term situation. Usually people can do it in a week or two. It's the first language that's a problem to learn.”

        Mr. Lakhavani suggests that engineers use their industry connections to spread the word about models, reports and certifications they've gained. He says he often notices inexperienced engineers making mistakes that caused project delays, lost revenue and other problems.

        “These ... can effectively cancel out any perceived savings employers are getting by hiring inexperienced young engineers,” he says.

        That's another pitch veterans can make.

        If a pink slip does come an older worker's way, career support groups such as 40 Plus (www.fp.org ) can help ease the transition. The group's D.C. chapter offers a two-week career evaluation program, plus weekly meetings with speakers — usually business and nonprofit executives. While the group is not focused on technology, it is a place to get big-picture advice, says president Margaret Reuthinger.

        More entrepreneurial-minded workers might consider selling their experience for higher rates as an independent contractor, offers Mark Mehler, coauthor of Career XRoads, a guide to job sites on the Web.

        “It gives you a lot of flexibility and you can make more money than ever before,” Mr. Mehler says.

        Free-lancers sometimes lack the stability of a regular paycheck, health insurance and other benefits that grow in importance as people age. But, Mr. Mehler says, contractors can always sign on full time with a company they've come to know and trust through free-lance assignments.

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