A new study suggests that tattooed job-hunters are being discriminated against in recruitment.
According to research carried out by DPG Plc, as many as 64 per cent of hiring decision makers consider tattoos to be an ‘undesirable feature’ in job candidates, while a further 54 per cent believe that tattoos can have a negative impact on the workplace.
43 per cent of recruiters quizzed said that they considered visible tattoos to be valuable indicators of a candidate’s character and personality.
Controversially, 30 per cent of respondents added that they thought tattoos were telling clues in determining a candidate’s predicted performance on the job.
Furthermore, when recruiters were asked to cite the top features they considered undesirable in candidates, tattoos ranked second only to ‘scruffiness’.
Commentators have raised concerns that tattoo discrimination in recruitment is on the rise – and that tattooed job hunters are being denied a fair assessment at interview based on their actual ability to do the job.
Under existing English law, there is currently no clear legislation protecting tattooed workers from discrimination during the recruitment stage, or in the workplace.
This is because tattoos are not considered a ‘protected characteristic’ under the Equality Act.
However, disputes are still liable to arise and, in some cases, an employer may not be able to justify that discrimination of this kind was justified and proportionate.