EEOC probing whether hiring practices discriminate against unemployed applicants

In the Legal Intelligencer (2/25), employee rights attorneys Jeffrey Campolongo and Jennie Maura McLaughlin reported the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is investigating whether employers' hiring practices discriminate against the unemployed. At a February 16 EEOC public meeting, National Employment Law Project Executive Director Christine Owens pointed to several job postings in which employers specified they would not consider unemployed applicants. Owens "also provided anecdotal evidence that recruiters and staffing agencies have been informed by their clients that they will not be considering people who have been out of work for more than a specified period of time." The claim was questioned by others, including a YMCA human resources executive, who suggested unemployed candidates may possess outdated skills "compared with a candidate whose skills are fresh ..."