Karlene Meister

They say that it's easier to find a job when you have a job. But what if you are unemployed? And we all know that it's illegal for a company to refuse to hire someone based on age, sex, religion, race, etc. But what about companies who refuse to hire the unemployed -is that illegal?

One cell-phone company recently got into trouble when its recruiters stated that unemployed candidates need not apply. After a media uproar, they said the listing was a mistake. But as it turns out they're not the only one. Dozens of companies out there are refusing to hire the unemployed, stating that it's a "good business practice", that people out of the workforce have fallen behind in skills.

At a recent hearing at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the panel heard of a 55-year-old California woman who had applied for a job, and the recruiter was all excited until she learned that this applicant had been unemployed for 6 months, and then told her not to bother submitting her resume to the hiring company.

At a time like this when half of the nation's unemployed have been jobless for a year or more, we don't need this additional problem of companies not hiring the jobless. The longer someone is unemployed, the harder it is for them to find work.

The unemployed, as a whole, are not a protected class such as for people of color or the disabled. Perhaps it's time for a new law to end discrimination against the unemployed.

What's your opinion? Would you advocate a law banning discrimination against the unemployed? Do share your thoughts.