Why Jesse Mulligan thinks old workers are better than young ones

New Zealand has one of the oldest workforces on the planet - more than a quarter of over 65-year-olds are still working hard.

But that doesn't mean they're valued by their bosses.

Lorraine Malone, 62, came back to New Zealand after a stint in Australia and applied for 70 jobs but was turned down by every single one. 

So her daughter Jody Brownlee opened a fish and chip shop in Fielding - and now business is booming.

 Malone says older workers just need to be given a chance.

"We need to have a chance at getting in there and doing things - we're reliable, we turn up for shifts," she told The Project on Monday

It's a sentiment echoed by host Jesse Mulligan. 

"Older workers are so much better than younger in so many ways," he said. 

"They're not gonna leave and go somewhere else, they're usually pretty stable and they're not going to be on their phone on Instagram cause they don't know how to use it," he joked.

There are options for older workers said Mulligan.

"There are employers out there who recognise the value of older workers, and there are a couple of recruitment sites - Seniors at Work and Wise Ones - that hook workers up with people who want to employ them - but you don't do it for charity!"

Watch the full video above.