Pasadena, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/22/2011 -- The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) held a public meeting last month to discuss employers’ bias against jobless candidates.

54 Congress members asked the EEOC in November to investigate if minorities were facing discrimination in hiring by employers. But in the meeting that it held in February the most common complaint its representatives heard was that employers did not want to hire jobless candidates and people over 50. But minorities do have a higher unemployment rate too. The unemployment rate for African-Americans was 15.7 percent, for Hispanics it was 11.9 percent and for whites it was 8 percent. The figures are taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Advocates for the unemployed were able to point out that several job listings online and in local papers said that the applicant had to be currently employed or recently unemployed, the usual period being 1 to 4 months. EEOC commissioners said that they may review whether the agency should look into the matter. Employers using such discriminatory practices may be faced with lawsuits if the EEOC finds them guilty.

CEO A. Harrison Barnes of Hound says that even if some employers do discriminate against the jobless while hiring, most employers will try to find the best candidate for their organization. Hound, a job search engine, has been able to find 127,000 job openings from employer websites in the last seven days.