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Unemployed Need Not Apply: State Bans Want-Ad Ploy

Written by by Bill Chappell Thursday, 07 April 2011 23:00

They say it takes money to make money — but does it take a job to land a job? Some companies in New Jersey think so, leading the state to enact a new law that forbids employers from requiring that all new job applicants be currently employed.

The law is evidently the first of its kind in the United States. Joel Rose filed a report for Newscast:

The law's sponsors say it has become common for businesses in New Jersey to post want ads with caveats like "must be employed" or "no unemployed candidates will be considered." Supporters of the law say that disproportionally hurts minority workers, who are more likely to be unemployed.

Lawmakers in New Jersey say they're the first to outlaw the practice. At first, Gov. Chris Christie vetoed the bill, saying businesses in the state are already over-regulated. But Christie suggested some changes to the bill, and signed it into law this week.

New Jersey isn't the only place where this is happening — the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission is keeping an eye on companies in other states, as well.

In testimony from this year archived on the EEOC site, Christine L. Owens, executive director of the National Employment Law Project, described some examples of companies using help-wanted ads to filter out anyone who didn't already have a job.

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