My experiences as a Recruiter

My own humble observation suggests that such preferences towards younger individuals tend to be due to four reasons. Firstly, younger individuals means more years of productivity. When you train someone young, employers hope to keep them for a longer time and expect returns of their investment for a longer time. Secondly, younger individuals also mean they are presumably more technologically savvy and in tune with new developments in the field. Thirdly, it might mean that they have fresher ideas. And lastly, older or more experienced individuals might mean more salaries.
Throughout the several months long project, my director stressed time and again that the ideal candidate for this position would be “fresh” and “young” professional just out of Management school or someone with 3 to 4 years of experience although the job description provided to us clearly stated that the company was looking for someone “seasoned”. This was done in a very overt manner within the organization. It is also good to note that this observation was made before recession had in effects in the job market. It was also implied that as a recruiter I should be able to read resumes and voices while interviewing and be able to distinguish whether it is of a younger or older individuals.