13-01-2025
Age Discrimination in Hiring: Relative Importance and Additive and Multiplicative Effects
A study involving 5,017 Danish employers shows that age is a key factor in hiring discrimination. Discrimination against older applicants (45–75 years) is more common than discrimination based on other traits and remains consistent across employers of all ages, industries, and sectors.
However, three factors were found to reduce age discrimination: previous unemployment, a preference for part-time work, and being a male with a Muslim background. No factors were identified that increase age discrimination when combined with other traits. Overall, older applicants with multiple disadvantages have almost no chance of being hired.