Are you reading this in a cafe? If so, take a quick glance at your waiter or waitress: it's a safe bet they're a dewy-fresh 20-something, or if not, at least under 40. Been to the US recently? Noticed all the folk in their 50s and 60s working in restaurants, bars, hotels, gas stations, and as flight attendants?

It's not so much gender bias that hurts people's job prospects in Australia but age – and by some measures, we appear to be the most ageist country on the planet.

A survey of 1000 people released by the University of Melbourne earlier this year found that young people and men are the most likely to be ageist, although it didn't reveal an across-the-board negative attitude to seniors.

"It's not just in the recruitment that older workers frequently don't get a fair go, but in training and career development – they're not given the opportunity to develop their skills," says Meagan Lawson, chief executive of Council on the Ageing NSW.

"People are healthier; they don't necessarily want to retire, and if they do, they want to segue into it. Others have no choice; many older women, who've spent much of their lives out of the workforce … don't have enough superannuation to survive on."