Today's Home Office and Equalities coverage of interest includes stories on discrimination in the workplace and the Tier 2 visa cap.
Equalities and Human Rights Commission report
The Financial Times, The Independent, The Guardian, Daily Mail and the Times are among the papers that report on the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) report which found that British employers are 'living in the dark ages' with regards to discrimination against women who are pregnant or plan to have children.
The EHRC published a survey of 1,106 senior decision makers in business. The survey found that six in 10 employers said that a woman should have to disclose whether she is pregnant at a job interview, while almost half (46%) of employers believe it is OK to ask women if they have young children during the recruitment process. A Government Equalities Office statement can be found below.
A Government Equalities Office spokesperson said:
The law is absolutely clear, no one should discriminated against because they are pregnant, a mother or simply a woman, and there are regulations in place which every employer must follow.
Tier 2 visa allocation
The Guardian reports that the UK reached its cap on visas for skilled non-European workers for a third month in a row. The paper reports that there is concern over a 'deepening staffing crisis facing the NHS and other key employers'. A Home Office statement can be found below.
A Home Office spokesperson said:
It is important that our immigration system works in the national interest, ensuring that employers look first to the UK resident labour market before recruiting from overseas.
The Tier 2 visa route is intended to fill gaps in the labour market. When demand exceeds the month's allocation of Tier 2 (General) visas, priority is given to applicants filling a shortage or PhD-level occupations.
The published shortage lists include a range of medical professionals, including consultants specialising in clinical radiology and emergency medicine, and we estimate that around a third of all Tier 2 places go to the NHS.