Recruiting for a Fair Go

About 75% of complaints to the Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission are in the area of employment.

People have a right to be appointed to a job if their abilities are best suited to the genuine requirements of the position.

Unfortunately, this does not always occur. Job seekers are sometimes excluded from consideration for a position because of preconceptions and assumptions about personal characteristics such as their race, age, gender or disability.

It is important that recruitment professionals and employers are aware of equal opportunity law as both may be liable for complaints of discrimination. A recruitment agency may be found liable for discriminatory hiring practices even if they are following the directions of an employer client.

From 2002 to 2004, the Equal Opportunity Commission Victoria conducted an enquiry into the recruitment industry's awareness and understanding of equal opportunity legislation and principles.

The enquiry has also been used to develop best practice guidelines for the recruitment industry. The guidelines aim to assist both recruitment professionals and employers to not only understand and apply equal opportunity legislation, but to encourage them to go beyond the minimum requirements of the legislation and ensure the highest standards of anti-discriminatory practices are met.

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