Chris Grayling, Minister at the DWP, has said that it is his “hope that every employer in the UK, in deciding if they are going to recruit in the next few months, will put young UK unemployed people at the top of their recruitment priority list”.
He was talking about the problems faced by UK candidates, who may “be up against someone…from Eastern Europe, who is five or six years older, who has got work experience already and [is] quite an attractive recruitment option for the employer”.
In case any employers out there are minded to take this advice from (in case you missed it the first time) a Minister at the Department for Work and Pensions, please don’t, or you will be committing unlawful discrimination on the ground of race against non-UK job applicants.
When it was put to Mr Grayling that his proposal might be contrary to discrimination law, he said: “I simply hope that the choices that employers make in this country will be to give young unemployed British people a chance, so it would be bizarre if I didn’t say that…”
I, on the other hand, think that it would be bizarre for a Minister at the DWP to encourage employers to make “choices” that would constitute race discrimination.
Actually, now I think about it further, Grayling’s exoration for employers to put “young UK unemployed people” at the top of their recruitment lists is very suspect…(cough age discrimination cough)…probably best ignore that bit of advice too.
Employers, and indeed Mr Grayling, can find out more information on race discrimination and recruitment in XpertHR’s FAQs section:
- How can an employer ensure that line managers draw up a shortlist for a position without unlawfully discriminating against applicants?
- Can an employer be held liable if an unsuccessful applicant provides evidence that he or she may have been discriminated against during an interview?
- Does an unsuccessful job applicant require concrete evidence to prove that he or she was discriminated against?
- Can an employer refuse to employ a foreign national because of the effort involved in ensuring that he or she has a right to work in the UK?
