Letter: Economic nonsense of age discrimination

From Mr Dan Wood

Sir: Labour has promised to "introduce legislation to make age discrimination illegal just as discrimination on the grounds of race and sex are today".

From an employer's point of view, however, while there is nothing to be gained from racial or sexual discrimination, there can in some cases be sound reasons for favouring older or younger people when recruiting or promoting. When filling a vacancy, an employer is not only looking at what a candidate can bring to the immediate position (where the older, more experienced person may be better) but what their continued development as their career progresses can bring to the company in the long term.

It can be, therefore, that the "better" candidate is the younger one who will be with the company longer and thus be in a position to put more back into the company having received the investment and on-the-job training associated with the position on offer.

Yours sincerely,

Dan Wood

London, SW15