New research by the Equality and Human Rights Commission into employers’ knowledge and attitudes in recruitment practices has revealed some confusion and misunderstanding of the law. While the research found little evidence of discriminatory practices in recruitment decisions, it did reveal a lack of knowledge about the law, which could lead to unlawful discrimination and in some cases prosecution. Key findings were that 10% of recruitment agencies reported employers specifically asking for UK-born workers to fill a vacancy and 9% of employers believed it was lawful to pay foreign-born workers different rates from British ones. In addition, just over 50% of those surveyed still did not know that employers must check that all job applicants have a right to work in the UK, and so may face prosecution, jail sentences and fines for breaking the law.

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