Businesses are keen to snap up the federal government's $10,000 grants to hire older workers, but ridding the workplace of ageism will take some time.
Employers will pocket $10,000 over two years if they hire a worker aged over 50 who has been unemployed for six months, under measures announced in Tuesday's budget.
Employers and recruitment agencies have praised the incentive as good for encouraging bosses to hire mature workers.
However, official statistics show ageism in the workplace kicks in as early as 45.
An AAP analysis of Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows people who lose their jobs when aged between 45 and 54 can expect to be out of work for about a year.
And the older you are, the harder it is to find work.
Recruitment firm Randstad's employment analyst Steve Shepherd said ageism was rife in the workplace.
He cited the case of a 47-year-old woman client who was asked during a recent job interview if she still had the passion to work at her age.
"Employers do have perceptions that older people are going to be less energetic and less technology savvy," he said.
"This incentive will help employers, particularly small businesses, to see beyond a person's age.
"I think this culture against older workers will have to change because at the end of the day we have an ageing population."
The Australian Retailers Association executive director Russell Zimmerman said he's expecting retail businesses to take advantage of the incentive, including home improvement giant Masters.
"People in car part areas will make excellent workers in hardware stores," he said.
"We know Masters is in the process of opening stores across Australia so there are opportunities there."
Building products group CSR managing director Rob Sindel said the average age of the company's employees, particularly in the company's factories, was between 45 and 55.
"We have never shied away from hiring people in that age group," he said.
"If there is some long-term unemployed person, who is right for the organisation and the role, then we would apply for the grant but it wouldn't be our primary driver."
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