Older workers who face discrimination on grounds of age should have legal protection, a leading employment think-tank has urged.
The Employment Policy Institute said "radical" steps may be needed to help older people stay in work.
Research showed in the past 25 years there has been a "significant fall" in the employment of people in their 50s and early 60s.
The institute claimed most other developed countries have seen a similar trend but the UK has suffered the highest increase in economic inactivity in this age group.
Many are forced out by policies followed by employers and the Government.
"Older people who do want to work and cannot work, because they are clearly discriminated against on grounds of age, should have legal protection," said the report.
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