If the two applicants have equal qualifications and you only hire the younger applicant then you are going to be open for an age-discrimination lawsuit. Being o

If the two applicants have equal qualifications and you only hire the younger applicant then you are going to be open for an age-discrimination lawsuit. Being older and having a shorter relevant work experience is the sort of 'red flag' that puts you on the losing side of these lawsuits, as the two candidates are manifestly equal by definition here other than differences in age. You can't say "person X is older and should therefore have more work experience, so we will pick person Y" and expect to not end up spending the next few years in court.