Employers contemplating hiring new staff should take note of guidance published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission which indicates that many people may risk being denied access to jobs due to unlawful, discriminatory advertisements. In the last year the Commission received over 100 complaints that advertisements were discriminatory. The grounds of discrimination included age (a recruitment agency stated that over 45s need not apply), disability (a hotel said that it would not offer accommodation to disabled people), sex, ethnicity and sexual orientation.

The checklist from the commission is attached below and provides businesses with the key legal issues a business should consider when advertising for hiring an employee.

Checklist: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/publication-download/advertising-good-practice-checklist-advertisers-and-publishers

Please note that the above does not constitute legal advice.