How widespread is discrimination against older workers in hiring practices? The issue has become urgent in France, where the population is aging and the retirement age continues to rise – making it increasingly important to ensure better professional integration for this age group. France is still far from achieving this goal: Although employment rates for people aged 55 to 64 have risen steadily since 2000, reaching 60.4% in 2024, they remain five percentage points below the European average. People in France are also considered “older” at work earlier than elsewhere: In a 2022 Ipsos survey, job seekers considered themselves senior from the age of 53 on average, while recruiters considered candidates senior from the age of 50.
To analyze this discrimination, the French Ministry of Labor (DARES) reviewed around 30 studies from Europe and the United States on the topic. The report, titled “Are Older Workers Really Discriminated Against When Recruiting?”, was published on April 22 and cross-references findings from field experiments and research on age-related stereotypes.
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