The UK recruitment industry is taking no notice of equality legislation, according to HR equality & diversity specialist Anne Tynan.

Tynan recently screened a selection of 300 recruitment websites, analysing the accessibility features offered for disabled people and examining the level of equality & diversity information provided. The results were summarised in the report ‘Recruitment Equality – Accessibility, Equality and Diversity on Recruitment Websites’, published at the end of January.

“The results make bleak reading,” Tynan told Recruiter. “For example, 54% of recruitment websites offered no accessibility features for disabled people, and 97% had made no attempt to provide inclusive online application and recruitment procedures.

“Why does this matter? The Equality and Human Rights Commission has made clear that the Equality Act 2010 applies to websites, so recruiters may find themselves in breach of the law.

“More importantly, however, is the impact upon disabled people themselves. Employment is recognised as being central to every individual’s ability to function well within society. The Recruitment & Employment Confederation describes recruiters as ‘the conduit between work seeker and client’; sadly, inaccessible websites and application/recruitment procedures are turning recruiters into blocked conduits who deprive disabled people of the opportunity to contribute to society’s needs.”