Employers not likely to hire obese people in the UK

Obese people are less likely to be hired for jobs, and are thought to be less productive, according to a new survey of British businesses.

The research was commissioned by Crossland Employment Solicitors, and compiled the views of 1,000 UK employers.

Nearly half of the respondents said that they would be less likely to recruit an applicant at interview stage if they were obese. Many commented that they thought overweight candidates "wouldn’t be able to do the job required" and would be "unable to play a full role in business."

The European Court of Justice has recently ruled that obesity may be a disability if it prevents an employee from doing their job at the same level as their peers, meaning that employers must now make efforts to accommodate workers who fall into this category. Almost a third of the survey’s respondents said that they would be worried about these potential costs.

However, the UK has also implemented laws to protect obese workers from outright discrimination at every stage of the recruitment process. This includes allowing obese people to question an employer’s choice not to hire them on discriminatory grounds.

Our author Susan L. Averett writes about how obesity affects a person’s labor market outcomes, noting the widespread trend that overweight people face more barriers to finding employment. Furthermore, she notes that obese people who are employed are likely to be in jobs with lower wages, and jobs with less customer- or client-interaction.

She asserts that policymakers need to work to reduce obesity whilst mitigating the effects of prejudice in the meantime.

Read more here.

Related articles:
Obesity and labor market outcomes, by Susan L. Averett
Anonymous job applications and hiring discrimination, by Ulf Rinne