EMPLOYERS, be vigilant. That was the warning from York employment lawyers as new figures reveal one in six workers felt they had experienced discrimination when applying for a job or a promotion.

The Employers’ Forum on Age, which conducted the research, said the figures revealed “unconscious discrimination” as people tended to recruit workers similar to themselves or others in their company.

More than a third of respondents felt they were discriminated against when trying to move firms or apply for a more senior position in the same company. Age was the most common reason (17 per cent), closely followed by favouritism (16 per cent).

Stephen Elliott, a partner in employment law at Langleys, of York, said: “These figures reveal there is a very big issue in the world of work for those who feel they could be victims of ageism or prejudice, leaving employees open to potential discrimination claims.

“I have just been instructed in a matter where an individual approaching retirement age was alleging age discrimination because he was not invited to second interview for a manager’s position.

“One of the reasons given was that he did not seem to ‘fit’ with the team, but the explanation of exactly what this meant has been difficult to pin down. The fact that the successful candidate was in his early 20s has produced the inevitable conclusion.”