. >> reporter: economist alicia munnell says the human resource managers were skeptical of workers likese in bridgeport. >> they said they worried about their ability to learn new things, about their physical stamina and basically how long are they going to stay. and so, it's when you looked at the whole picture of their assessment of older workers, you really wouldn't go out of your way to hire one. >> reporter: and there's another reason an employer might be loath to hire an older worker: if things don't work out, will they be sued? mary corbin thinks age is the reason she was let go a year and a half ago. >> no one under 50 was laid off, and it was a large amount of people. in the package that they gave everyone, they emphasized, for signing the package, you will not come back and sue us for age discrimination. >> reporter: and you couldn't afford to not take the severance? >> right. i did finally sign the package because i needed that income to take care of my family. >> reporter: but, according to alicia munnell, employers may simply think they're protecting themselves. >> we have