Anyone who pays a little attention to job recruitment advertisements will notice a curious and interesting phenomenon - the upper age limit of 35 for recruitment in both public and private sector positions, such as public servants, business managers, journalists, editors, technicians and operators. Those who are above 35 years old are almost always denied access to job opportunities, even if they are in the prime of life, mature in experience, knowledge and judgment.

It's said that the below-35 age limit for recruitment was first adopted by the IT industry on the grounds that IT jobs require continuous upgrading and broadening of skills and knowledge and the creative thinking of young people. Soon thereafter, advertising and other industries followed in the footsteps of the IT industry. Since then, this discriminatory practice has gradually become widespread, and it is now common throughout the country.

I don't know what version of human resources theory this age limit of below 35 years is most relevant to, or if there is any scientific basis for this age limit. However, only a little analysis will suffice to show how meaningless and absurd this age limit is.

Statistics show that the average age of Nobel Prize winners is 38 years. These Nobel laureates would not have been eligible for the prize because they were too old, according to the age limit criterion of 35 years. Does that sound ridiculous enough?

This upper age limit is an arbitrary choice, acting out of prejudice which is in breach of the principle of fairness and efficiency. In most countries and regions a person not more than 45 years of age is considered a young person. Setting the below-35 age limit for recruitment has not only deprived many people of their job opportunities and their right to employment, but also incurred loss of the wealth which would have resulted from the labour of these people. The result is worsening poverty, crime, rich-poor disparity, and above all, lower overall social welfare levels.

Every age group has its own unique characteristics. People in the under-35 age group are energetic, sensitive to the new, receptive to new ideas, full of the spirit of innovation and in tune with the pulse of the times; while people aged 35 or above have accumulated rich experience, have a high degree of self-reliance and a high regard for work, and they are capable of excellence and achievement in work. Diversification of a firm's human resource structure, with regard to its gender and age mix will best enable a firm to increase its performance and wealth-creation potential.

We can learn from the corresponding situation in other countries, such as the United States, where age discrimination by employers is legally prohibited. Under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, it is unlawful to discriminate against a person because of his/her age with respect to any term, condition, or privilege of employment, including hiring, firing, promotion, layoff, compensation, benefits, job assignments, and training. Victims of age discrimination can take legal action against the employers. Employers found guilty of discrimination may be fined or even asked to pay compensation to the victim.

Setting an age limit is a form of age discrimination and a flagrant violation of the citizens' constitutional right to work. In the second place, while employment promotion has been placed as one of the top priorities in China's socio-economic development, the upper age limit in recruitment has rendered a mass of workers over age 35 either unemployed or underemployed, resulting in a major waste of human resources and posing a potential threat to social stability.

Such irrational discrimination ought to be prohibited, for this is not just a simple matter of age, but a matter of social justice.