How much does age discrimination cost the UK?
There are differing estimates on how much age discrimination in employment costs the UK economy. In 2000, the Government estimated the cost to be £16 billion a year in lost GDP and £5 billion a year in welfare payments and lost taxes. But the Employers Forum on Age (EFA) a couple of years later estimated that the loss in terms of GDP was almost double (£31 billion) although they agreed with the Government’s estimate of £5 billion in welfare and lost taxes. More recent estimates from other researchers have tended towards the EFA’s figure.
