Industry secretary Patricia Hewitt will today announce plans to outlaw age discrimination in a bid to reverse the "cult of youth".

The move, which makes it illegal for employers to stipulate age requirements in job advertisements, will see many more workers remaining in post until their late 60s.

The government denies that the proposals, to be contained in a consultation paper, amount to further political correctness.

"For years everyone has accepted that you cannot advertise a job and say 'blacks not welcome'. Employers will no longer be able to say 'young and energetic person wanted' or 'only mature people need apply'," Hewitt told the Telegraph newspaper.

"Age discrimination is the last bastion of lawful unfair discrimination."

But the minister may leave open the possibility of setting a "default" retirement age of 70 when firms could force workers out.

Hewitt will say that age discrimination costs the economy £16 billion a year and expects the proposals to become law by 2006.

The DTI expects the benefits of the new laws to outweigh the costs to business after three years, reports the FT.