It’s getting to the point that there is so much discrimination against the unemployed that some Democratic lawmakers have introduced a new bill prohibiting employers from considering employment status in hiring decisions.  Some employers have even posted job advertisements saying only currently employed candidates will be considered. This is something you may want to think twice about advertising in the near future.

Employers must be careful to avoid interview questions on the job application or in the interview that could lead to the appearance of discrimination per an article written by Thompson Reuters.  Some examples of such questions include:

Are you a U.S. Citizen? Do you have a visual, speech, or hearing disability?

Are you planning to have a family?  Have you ever filed a Workers’ Comp Claim?

What year did you graduate from high school?

To avoid the risk of liability for employment discrimination, an employer’s questions must be directly related to the job for which an applicant is applying.

So why hire the unemployed? Besides the fact online at every state unemployment agency there is a “Free” data system companies can put job positions on and find qualified job applicants, there are new programs and incentives being created every year that can save you money on your hiring and training costs.

Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana have hiring programs and grants that consist of  “On-the-Job” Training Reimbursements in some cases up to $5,000, Internship & Co-op partnerships, Tax Credits, Workforce Training Voucher Programs, and more.

Just contact the unemployment agencies in the states you have locations in and start asking questions about the incentives to hire the unemployed.  In Ohio you can call 614-466-2319, in Kentucky call 502-564-7456 , and in Indiana you can call 800-437-9136.

If you have any questions about this information or want to know how Matrix Unemployment Services can help you reduce your unemployment costs, please contact Ken Kruse, at 513.351.1222 or via email kkruse@matrixtpa.com