If your business is still asking job applicants to give their ages, birth dates or graduation dates — beware. It is about to be illegal to do so in Connecticut.
As of Oct. 1, employers are prohibited from requesting or requiring a prospective employee’s age, date of birth or dates of attendance or graduation from an educational institution on an initial employment application.
Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, who pushed for the change, said, “As chair of the Governor’s Council on Women and Girls, I was proud to advocate for this new law that will support our state’s middle-aged and senior populations.”
The change had been a legislative priority for the council, she noted.
Requesting information that could reveal an applicant’s age, particularly school graduation dates, has been a common practice among employers. Employers should update their job application materials and websites to ensure they are in compliance.
“We all know that age discrimination exists, and its effects are usually disproportionally felt by women and people of color,” Bysiewicz said. “This new law is about more than creating an equal playing field for job applicants, this is about creating equity and equal opportunity for all employees, regardless of their race or age.”
Nora Duncan, AARP’s state director, had testified during the public hearing process in favor of the change. The organization has asserted that the goal is for candidates to be considered based on their qualifications, without age being a factor. In her testimony, she noted that age discrimination is illegal, and companies put themselves at risk for discrimination claims when they ask for age-related information.
According to Duncan, by 2022, roughly 35% of the nation’s workforce will be age 50 or older.
State Sen. Derek Slap, D-West Hartford said this summer, when the change secured final approval, that experience, skills and opportunity are lost when older members of the workforce can’t get their feet in the door due to their age.
