More than a third of employers believe younger workers are less reliable than their older counterparts, a survey has found.

The survey, carried out by Cranfield School of Management as part of the Department of Work and Pensions’ Age Positive campaign, revealed that 37% of human resource managers “associate” younger people with unreliability.

A similar proportion said younger workers had a lack of skills, while 59% said they were inexperienced.

By contrast, 60% of respondent’s to the survey said that older workers had wider experience, while half found older workers reliable. However, 50% of respondents said older workers had fewer technological skills.

The survey also found that many organisations use euphemisms when advertising for jobs that could be classed as age discrimination.

Four in ten used words such as “experienced” to indicate they might want an older worker, while others used words such as “energetic” or “dynamic” to suggest a younger person might suit the role.

Emma Parry of Cranfield School of Management commented: “The stereotype of younger workers is certainly more negative than for older workers. But people should be taken on as individuals rather than in terms of their age.”