What Does a Job Candidate's Age Signal to Employers?

•An applicant's older age signals to recruiters that the applicant has lower technological skills, flexibility, and trainability levels.•An applicant's perceived technological knowledge and skills, flexibility, and trainability explain 41% of the total effect of age on a job applicant's interview chances.•Negative association between age and invitation to interview probability is smaller when recruiters work for firms with a higher percentage of older employees. Research has shown that hiring discrimination is a barrier for older job candidates in many OECD countries. However, little research has delved into why these job candidates face discrimination. Therefore, we have conducted an online scenario experiment involving recruiters to empirically investigate 15 potential stigmas related to older age drawn from a systematic review of the literature. We found that older age particularly signals to recruiters that the applicant has lower technological skills, flexibility, and trainability levels. Together, these perceptions explain about 41% of the effect of age on the probability of being invited to a job interview. Additionally, we found that the negative association between age and the invitation to interview probability is smaller when recruiters work for firms with a higher percentage of older employees.