Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt has called for top businesses to embrace equal opportunities in their recruitment policies.

She told last week’s Diversity Matters conference that ageism was still rife in the FTSE- 100 and many older workers still found it difficult to find work. Government figures have revealed a third of people aged between 45 and 65 are out of work – and many of them suffer from problems such as depression.

Hewitt added: “It’s not about working until you drop – it is about choosing for yourself.”

A survey by MORI, commissioned by The Guardian and TMP Worldwide, reveals that one in four workers claims to be a victim of discrimination. Age discrimination was the most commonly reported, affecting 37% of those who had been victimised.

One in five black adults had been discriminated against at work, as well as 16% of all ethnic minority respondents.