Associated Press (03/23/12)

With close to 13 million Americans unemployed last month, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, there are concerns that employers may be discriminating against those who have been out of work for long periods of time. The National Conference of State Legislatures reports legislation that would prohibit discrimination against the unemployed in job ads, direct hiring, or screenings by staffing firms is being considered by lawmakers in several states.

In Connecticut, proposed legislation would prohibit discrimination in job ads, but lawmakers might not go as far as allowing unemployed job seekers to file complaints with the state’s human rights commission or to sue for alleged discrimination. The Connecticut Business and Industry Association says firms oppose measures that would allow workers to sue for discrimination but consider a ban on discriminatory job ads to be reasonable. However, the National Employment Law Project is pushing states to go beyond prohibiting discriminatory ads to stop employers, including staffing firms, from excluding unemployed job seekers from consideration for employment.

Terri Michaels, manager of Stewart Staffing Solutions in Hartford, CT, criticizes hiring practices that screen out unemployed job seekers. She says that despite the policies of small staffing companies such as hers, some large employers have an unspoken policy against hiring applicants who have been out of work for two years or more because they want workers with a stable job history and recent references. “They won’t be able to say it but they’ll act on it,” says Michaels.

The Conference Board News Release (03/22/12)

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index for the U.S. increased 0.7% in February to 95.5, following a 0.2% increase in January and a 0.5% increase in December. Ataman Ozyildirim, economist at the Conference Board, says: “continued broad-based gains in the LEI for the U.S. confirm a more positive outlook for general economic activity in the first half of 2012, although still subdued consumer expectations and the purchasing managers’ index for new orders held the LEI back in February. The board’s measure of current economic conditions has also been rising as employment, income, and sales data all continue to improve. Industrial production, however, has not yet picked up strongly.”

Financial Times (03/22/12) Peter Whitehead

Denis Pennel’s position as managing director of Ciett, the international confederation of private employment firms, gives him a broad perspective on workplace trends—and he has clear views on where they are heading. “We think permanent employment will decrease,” he says, “but agents advising staff and acting as contractors will increase. Intermediaries are more and more involved in employment.” Pennel notes that “free agents, or self-employed people, are already a big proportion of the work force—and it will increase.”

Pennel sees social networking as the great enabler, creating a “community” of contributors rather than a traditional “company.” The recruitment sector has a vital role in managing the relationships and the intricate legal and contractual complexities that will arise. The recruitment industry is “all about matching supply and demand for labor,” Pennel notes. “There are more diverse skills and expectations today, and human resources will be individualized in the future—no more one-size-fits-all policies. Individuals will be choosing who they want to work for and the third-party intermediaries will look at skills, soft skills, and personalities in matching supply and demand. So recruiters can become HR departments.”