Seriously? Who do you think is more employable?
- 17 years old; high school graduate; never had a job.
- 30 years old; high school graduate; never had a job.
If it isn't the second one, you're describing something other than "age alone".
30 years and no work history implies some problem that has prevented them from working.
17 years implies a lack of life experience and likely a lack of soft skills. Once they hit their 20's however they're going to be less of a gamble, regardless of their work experience.
So yes at some point too much time will have passed for them to become more employable. But I was only thinking in a sub 5 year term. More as a means of encouraging someone in that situation, not as a hard and fast rule, that the older you are the more easily you're employed.
(1a) 17 years old; high school graduate; never had a job.
(1b) 22 years old; high school graduate; never had a job.
Or, if you prefer:
(2a) 17 years old; college graduate; never had a job.
(2b) 22 years old; college graduate; never had a job.
I submit that in every case the 17-year-old is more employable.
Perhaps my views are not typical, but I find a lot of maturing happens in late teens and early 20's. I might be jaded but I find people get significantly easier to work with when they hit mid 20's. There are many exceptions to this however and not all people mature at the same age.