Age discrimination in hiring decisions: what can we do about it?

It doesn't matter whether recruiters have information that disproves or confirms stereotypes about age; age is equally important in both situations. This is one of the conclusions of a study into age discrimination in hiring decisions in nine European countries. The research was carried out by Jelle Lössbroek, Tanja van der Lippe and Joop Schippers, all three associated with the Future of Work hub of Utrecht University, in collaboration with Bram Lancee, sociologist at the University of Amsterdam.

The four researchers conducted a survey among 482 managers in nine countries in Europe. Would age play a less important role in hiring someone if recruiters have more information about the candidate's skills? Unfortunately not, the researchers discovered. Older candidates are less likely to be hired than younger candidates, and this finding is robust in all countries and sectors. And stereotype-dismissive information doesn't moderate ageism: it doesn't matter whether recruiters have information that invalidates or confirms age stereotypes (for example, that an older person has recently received training); age is equally important in both situations. The research is published under the title Age Discrimination in Hiring Decisions: A Factorial Survey among Managers in Nine European Countries in the European Sociological Review. 

Postdoc researcher Jelle Lössbroek tells on the Dutch recruitment website Werf & that the outcome about stereotypes surprised him. "I found that surprising, because the information itself is indeed taken into account in the assessment. A candidate of 55 who completed a recent training, for example, scores better than a candidate who did not." solution, he says in the same interview. "No matter how old a candidate is, employers always look at their characteristics. Investing in human capital therefore remains relevant. "

Managers over 50 tend to discriminate less than managers under 50

In addition, according to Lössbroek, it is important to organise the recruitment procedure in a smart way, for example through more diversity in the selection committee, for example with an older colleague. "Managers over 50 discriminate less harshly than managers under 50. And leave the date of birth out of the CV, for example, but make sure that more information and criteria are directed towards other information and criteria in the hiring process."