WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Does legislation explicitly prohibit discrimination in hiring or recruitment on the basis of age?

The term “age” includes broad references to ‘age’ and specific protections for minors, the elderly, or individuals above a certain age. For the purposes of this variable, the term “age” captures all of these definitions.

Hiring or recruitment includes explicit legislative prohibitions against discrimination during pre-employment, or the hiring or recruitment process.

No prohibition means that legislation does not take an explicit approach to prohibiting discrimination in hiring or recruitment on the basis of age. This does not mean that legislation denies this guarantee.

General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment means that legislation prohibits discrimination in hiring or recruitment generally— for example, by prohibiting discrimination based on “any status” or stating no worker may be discriminated against. This general prohibition is not specifically extended on the basis of age.

Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on age means that legislation extends a prohibition of discrimination at the workplace on the basis of age, but does not explicitly address discrimination in hiring nor recruitment on this basis. These broad prohibitions use language that could extend prohibition of discrimination across any aspect of work.

Yes, age-based prohibition means that legislation either: a) extends an explicit age-based prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment, or b) extends a broad prohibition of age-based workplace discrimination alongside a general prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment to all workers.

Countries

Bahrain - No prohibition

Bangladesh - No prohibition

Bhutan - No prohibition

Botswana - No prohibition

Brunei - No prohibition

Cambodia - No prohibition

Cameroon - No prohibition

Central African Republic - No prohibition

Comoros - No prohibition

Democratic Republic of the Congo - No prohibition

Republic of the Congo - No prohibition

Dominica - No prohibition

Egypt - No prohibition

Equatorial Guinea - No prohibition

Eritrea - No prohibition

Ethiopia - No prohibition

The Gambia - No prohibition

Ghana - No prohibition

Greenland - No prohibition

Haiti - No prohibition

India - No prohibition

Indonesia - No prohibition

Iran - No prohibition

Jamaica - No prohibition

Jordan - No prohibition

Kenya - No prohibition

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - No prohibition

Laos - No prohibition

Lebanon - No prohibition

Lesotho - No prohibition

Liechtenstein - No prohibition

Madagascar - No prohibition

Malaysia - No prohibition

Mali - No prohibition

Marshall Islands - No prohibition

Mauritania - No prohibition

Micronesia, Federated States of - No prohibition

Monaco - No prohibition

Morocco - No prohibition

Myanmar - No prohibition

Namibia - No prohibition

Nauru - No prohibition

Nepal - No prohibition

Nicaragua - No prohibition

Nigeria - No prohibition

Oman - No prohibition

Pakistan - No prohibition

Palau - No prohibition

Panama - No prohibition

Papua New Guinea - No prohibition

Qatar - No prohibition

Rwanda - No prohibition

Samoa - No prohibition

San Marino - No prohibition

Singapore - No prohibition

Solomon Islands - No prohibition

Somalia - No prohibition

Sri Lanka - No prohibition

St. Kitts and Nevis - No prohibition

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - No prohibition

Sudan - No prohibition

Eswatini - No prohibition

Switzerland - No prohibition

Tajikistan - No prohibition

Thailand - No prohibition

Tonga - No prohibition

Trinidad and Tobago - No prohibition

Tunisia - No prohibition

Uganda - No prohibition

United Arab Emirates - No prohibition

Uruguay - No prohibition

Vanuatu - No prohibition

Zimbabwe - No prohibition

Angola - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

Burkina Faso - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

Cabo Verde - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

China - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

Ecuador - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

Gabon - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

Guatemala - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

Iraq - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

Libya - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

Malawi - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

Syria - General prohibition of discrimination in hiring or recruitment

Algeria - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on age

Argentina - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on age

Azerbaijan - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on age

Belize - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on age

Burundi - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on age

Canada - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on age

Chile - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on age

Cuba - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on age

Honduras - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on age

Kuwait - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on age

Kyrgyzstan - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on age

Mongolia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on age

Mozambique - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on age

Paraguay - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on age

Sierra Leone - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on age

Vietnam - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on age

Yemen - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on age

Albania - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Andorra - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Antigua and Barbuda - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Armenia - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Australia - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Austria - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Bahamas - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Barbados - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Belarus - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Belgium - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Benin - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Bolivia - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Brazil - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Bulgaria - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Chad - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Colombia - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Costa Rica - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Cote d'Ivoire - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Croatia - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Cyprus - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Czech Republic - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Denmark - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Djibouti - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Dominican Republic - Yes, age-specific prohibition

El Salvador - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Estonia - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Fiji - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Finland - Yes, age-specific prohibition

France - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Georgia - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Germany - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Greece - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Grenada - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Guinea - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Guinea-Bissau - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Guyana - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Hungary - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Iceland - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Ireland - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Israel - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Italy - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Japan - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Kazakhstan - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Kiribati - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Republic of Korea - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Latvia - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Liberia - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Lithuania - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Luxembourg - Yes, age-specific prohibition

North Macedonia - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Maldives - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Malta - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Mauritius - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Mexico - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Moldova - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Montenegro - Yes, age-specific prohibition

The Netherlands - Yes, age-specific prohibition

New Zealand - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Niger - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Norway - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Peru - Yes, age-specific prohibition

The Philippines - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Poland - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Portugal - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Romania - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Russian Federation - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Sao Tome and Principe - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Saudi Arabia - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Senegal - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Serbia - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Seychelles - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Slovakia - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Slovenia - Yes, age-specific prohibition

South Africa - Yes, age-specific prohibition

South Sudan - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Spain - Yes, age-specific prohibition

St. Lucia - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Suriname - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Sweden - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Tanzania - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Timor-Leste - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Togo - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Türkiye - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Turkmenistan - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Tuvalu - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Ukraine - Yes, age-specific prohibition

United Kingdom - Yes, age-specific prohibition

United States of America - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Uzbekistan - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Venezuela - Yes, age-specific prohibition

Zambia - Yes, age-specific prohibition