Brussels  - The recession has increased European perceptions that age may be a problem when seeking a new job, according to a European Union survey published Monday.

The Eurobarometer survey, which polled citizens in the EU as well as in candidate countries Croatia, Macedonia and Turkey between May 29 and June 15, found that 64 per cent of respondents were concerned that the economic downturn would lead to more age discrimination on the labour market.

The poll also found that 58 per cent of Europeans consider age discrimination to be widespread in their country, up from a figure of 42 per cent in 2008.

Asked which criteria a company might consider to be a disadvantage when considering two candidates with equal skills and qualifications, the most common answers were age (48 per cent) and the candidate's dress-sense or presentation (48 per cent).

Experts in Brussels stressed that the questionnaire did not distinguish between people being too old or too young for a job. But they noted that the rise may reflect growing youth unemployment in many EU countries as a result of the economic slowdown.

At the same time, overall perceptions of discrimination remain stable, with 16 per cent of Europeans saying they experienced some form of unfair treatment based on their race, religion, age, disability or sexual orientation.

Discrimination based on a person's ethnic origin remained by far the most common problem in Europe, with 61 per cent citing it as a common problem in their country.

"Discrimination remains a problem across Europe and people's perceptions of it are broadly stable compared to last year," said Equal Opportunities Commissioner Vladimir Spidla.

However, "one area of concern is the perceived rise in age discrimination as a result of the recession," Spidla said.

"These results show that despite progress, we still have a long way to go in making people more aware of their rights to equal treatment, particularly at national level and ensure that equality remains not just an empty phrase, but becomes reality," the commissioner added.

The results of the survey were expected to be discussed at a European Equality Summit scheduled to take place in Stockholm next week.(dpa)