Sunday, October 24, 2010

This Week In Jobless Discrimination: Unemployed Applicants Might 'Be Tempted To Steal'

Many employers have been posting ads for part-time job openings with a requirement to be 'currently employed'. This narrows the pool of applicants able to apply for these jobs and seems like it will only stretch out the wave of unemployment we are currently in. A bill has been proposed in New Jersey to make such ads illegal.
On the flip side, some employers believe it is in the best interest of the unemployed individual to not work a part-time job as such because it distracts them from their search of a full-time job. Also, the few benefits received from working a part-time job and the high unsatisfied needs to be fulfilled may tempt unemployed, part-time workers to steal.
With the high level of unemployment, part-time jobs may be the only way for many families to make their ends meet while searching for a full-time job. The race has only gotten tougher, which means there will only be survival of the fittest (those willing to work the part-time job and continue a rigorous search for a full-time job).

4 comments:

  1. This article is crazy. The managers point at the end does make some sense but it is a Catch-22. I'm not sure if it should be illegal to only offer a job to someone who is currently employed because it is up to a company to hire whoever they want. The point about stealing and taking away from their search for a job that can sustain them for a longer period of time.

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  2. This article definitely highlights the fact that morals and business do not often go hand in hand. While it is wrong to deny jobs to people because they are jobless, the rationalization by the manager does make sense, those who are struggling might try to rip off a company if they are working part time so hiring them is a gamble.

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  3. I think it is unfair to to discriminate against unemployed workers based on the idea that an employee might take advantage of a company. This will just end up being a vicious cycle of the unemployed not being able to find jobs. The unemployed are at the mercy of uneasy employers.

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  4. I agree with Allison that this will turn into a vicious cycle of the unemployed remaining unemployed, which will eventually cause a rise in societal delinquency, such as crime, corruption and fraud. Although companies must be careful of who they hire and it seems easier to hire someone with a lower level of pressure and stress that could affect the company, in the current economic situation, every citizen should try and make just a little bit of room for the other. Maybe if employers implemented a greater background check before they hire? I would think that might help ease the fears a little bit.

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