It's misrepresented because working hard doesn't get you paid more, hence false statistics.Talent doesn't get hired, diversity quotas and immigration is a big problem.

I agree there are diversity and immigration incentives which get in the way of pure talent.

With regards to immigrant hires, companies do it because they save money hiring third worlders who have lower standards and are more desperate (so its strategical, though I still disagree with it).

Diversity quotas aren’t strategical, theres no benefit in hiring a black woman in itself.

However, I was strictly talking about employer discrimination with regards to age, and why they do it. I think diversity quotas apply more to race and gender, but I haven’t seen it applied to age as much, so I think my initial point still holds.