AGEISM is having a profound effect on older workers, with a third of people in their 50s and 60s feeling disadvantaged when applying for jobs, research reveals.

Data from the National Institute of Economic & Social Research and cross-party think tank Demos showed almost one in five older workers have been turned down for a job because of their age and nearly a third were told they have “too much” experience for some roles.

People from black and minority ethnic backgrounds are more likely to report recent age-based discrimination than those from white backgrounds, the research highlighted.

Independent charity the Centre for Ageing Better said the issue is leaving some older workers trapped in insecure employment, unable to find suitable jobs or forced into early retirement.

The number of jobless 50 to 64-year-olds has increased by 175,000 during the coronavirus crisis, according to the foundation.

The charity’s senior programme manager Patrick Thomson said the stark figures made it clear that ageism has real impacts on people’s health, wellbeing and livelihoods.

“It leads to people losing confidence, retiring early, or being stuck in insecure work,” he said.