Six months after the age discrimination regulations came into force, research reveals they are yet to have an impact – with 20 per cent of Brits saying that age has stood in the way of them getting a job.

And the biggest problems are faced by younger people – with 27 per cent of 16-24 year-olds believing that age has stood in the way of them getting a job and 22 per cent admitting they would consider lying about their age to get a job.

The research, from The Employers Forum on Age (EFA) in association with Procter & Gamble, also reveals that 63 per cent of those surveyed think the age laws have made little or no difference to the way people are recruited.

In fact, an average of 12 per cent of those surveyed said they had seen ageist behaviour in their workplaces since October, with the figure standing at 19 per cent for 25-24 year-olds but just 6 per cent of 55-64 year-olds.

Sam Mercer, director of EFA said: “Six months on, it is disappointing to find that so many people are still falling victim to ageism at work. It just goes to show that a change in the law is merely the first step in a long journey towards tackling endemic social prejudices – as we’ve seen before with gender and race legislation.

“It’s down to us all as individuals to challenge our own ageist beliefs and ensure that particularly at work, we make judgments based on skills and ability rather than age.

“We still regularly spot job adverts that contravene the regulations, asking for ‘young professionals’, ‘recent graduates’, ‘young talents’, and ‘mature candidates’, or saying that salary will be offered depending on ‘age and experience’.

“While we appreciate that it does take time to change the habits of a lifetime, it is cheaper, easier and much better for businesses to be fair in the way they recruit people in the first place, than to defend a discrimination claim in a tribunal.”