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June 17, 2010

Out of Work? Need Not Apply

J.C. Arenas
A recent CNN report has revealed that companies and recruiters are openly communicating to unemployed workers they will not be considered for current job openings because they are unemployed.

The last thing someone who is unemployed needs to be told is that they shouldn't even apply for the limited number of job openings that are available. But some companies and recruiters are doing just that.

Employment experts say they believe companies are increasingly interested only in applicants who already have a job.

"I think it is more prevalent than it used to be," said Rich Thompson, vice president of learning and performance for Adecco Group North America, the world's largest staffing firm. "I don't have hard numbers, but three out of the last four conversations I've had about openings, this requirement was brought up."

Being unemployed, especially if it's not the individual's fault, shouldn't carry such a negative stigma, and this sort of unfair treatment against a particular class of people -- in this case the unemployed -- is the textbook definition of discrimination. Furthermore, given that minorities are disproportionately impacted by the nation's high unemployment problem, I'm not sure why these businesses are not worried about getting sued.

Civil suits are not the only reason this is financially unintelligent.

If companies are only going to consider individuals who currently have a job, more often than not, to entice such a move, that employer is likely going to have to offer that individual more money than they are currently earning.

Wouldn't it make more sense to offer a qualified applicant who happens to be unemployed simply because "a raise" wouldn't have to be an incentive to convince that individual to accept the position?

But clearly sense doesn't reign supreme in this situation; employers are assuming that the only qualified applicants that exist are those who already have jobs.

Discriminating against the unemployed is an incredibly morally reprehensible practice, especially at a time when millions of Americans are depending on the federal government for food, shelter, and health care.

That's not exactly what we consider to be the "American Dream".

J.C. Arenas is a frequent contributor to American Thinker and welcomes your comments at jcarenas.com

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