The Employment (Application Requirements) Bill, designed to eliminate unnecessary requirements from job applications, has undergone a second reading in the House of Commons.
First introduced in June 2021, the bill aims to level the playing field for all candidates by ensuring minimum qualifications and work experience are not a default requirement for a job application.
Instead, employers would have to prove that any qualifications or experience are necessary to do the job. It would also mean that companies would be prohibited from discriminating against a candidate due to a lack of qualifications.
Fairness in job applications:
John Mayes, legal director of Randstad UK, said overly detailed job adverts are excluding too many candidates from the hiring pool.
Speaking to HR magazine, he said: “Over-specifying a job advert can put off excellent candidates who won’t apply unless they meet all the criteria, even though they’re just as suitable as the successful applicants. We know that this is especially true of female candidates who tend to apply for roles only if they can fulfil all the criteria.
"Over-speccing unnecessarily narrows your choice of talent, and doesn't encourage the diversity of applicants that might otherwise add something a bit different to your organisation. As such, this is a positive move. That said, I don't think this is going to have a massive impact. And there are many more pressing issues the government should be addressing to fix the nation's labour...
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