Job seekers encounter
employment discrimination
With unemployment rising and competition in the workplace increasing, it's
tough to get a job - or get ahead -- in today's market. More than one in four
American adults say they have encountered employment discrimination, according
to a new survey by FindLaw.com, a popular legal information Web site. The survey
asked 1,000 American adults if they believe they have ever experienced
discrimination by an employer in job interviews, hiring, pay or promotions. The
most frequently cited forms of discrimination involved race, age and gender.
An employer's work policies must be applied to all employees in a
non-discriminatory manner. According to FindLaw.com, anti-discrimination laws
regulate all aspects of work including hiring, firing, promotions, job duties,
wages, benefits and reviews. Policies and actions that do not appear
discriminatory on their face may be prohibited under the law if those practices
have the effect of discriminating against people in a protected class.
Not all discrimination is prohibited by law. Only discrimination based upon a
classification that is considered 'protected' -- race, colour, religion, national
origin, sex, age, disability, or union activity under the federal
anti-discrimination laws -- is illegal. For example, paying an employee lower
wages than others because of differing work duties or experience is not
discriminatory.
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