[user5994461]

The cheapest companies in London pay around 90-100k base, which is quite respectable. Your concern would be valid if the pay was really low but it is not. There are few companies that will significantly top that.

Sure, an employee might leave to Google for the money... if only Google had an office in London and they could get an interview and pass. It's not like it's going to invariably happen over the next 6 months. It's far fetched from the company to assume that.

In the meantime the candidate is out of a job because companies refuse to hire them (I don't know if that's ageism but that's certainly something) and the company gets no work done because it's understaffed.

[pc86]

My point wasn't about the pay figure exactly, just that if you want more money than they want to pay, that's not ageism it's wanting more money than a position is worth to someone.

> companies refuse to hire them (I don't know if that's ageism but that's certainly something)

What is it then? Nobody is owed a job as a human right, and companies are under no obligation to hire a specific person.