Age-based discrimination has been observed in the labour market, where older job applicants are increasingly attracting attention from scientists and the general public.
This has significant financial and health consequences for those affected. In this study, we examine whether older job seekers are evaluated differently than younger job seekers by recruitment agencies. Using a control group design, we divided the recruitment agencies into two groups and allowed them to assess the candidates' work history (younger/older).
Our results show that recruitment agencies tend to prefer younger job seekers over older ones. The results also show that older job seekers are evaluated less favorably in terms of physical ability, health, and work skills compared to younger job seekers. Furthermore, younger and less experienced recruitment agencies display more signs of age-based discrimination than older and more experienced ones. We discuss the implications for organizations and companies, and highlight the need for training recruitment agencies."
