N.J. wants to end job ads excluding unemployed

New Jersey lawmakers have approved legislation to fine companies for placing job ads that prohibit the unemployed from applying.

The state Senate gave final legislative approval to an amended version of the bill that dealt with some concerns expressed by Gov. Chris Christie when he vetoed the measure.

Sen. James Beach said the amended bill calls for smaller fines than originally proposed. He said the many good workers who lost their jobs during the recession should not be excluded as candidates for employment.

“There has to be a fairness issue, and businesses have to realize that to exclude someone that is unemployed from having the opportunity to gain work just doesn’t make much sense to me,” Beach said.

The director of the Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University questioned how effective the legislation will be. Carl Van Horn said while it will change employers’ advertising, it won’t necessarily affect their hiring practices and behavior.

But Van Horn said he expects jobs prospects for the unemployed may improve in the future

“As the economy slowly recovers, I’m sure that employers will begin considering all kinds of workers, not just those who have had steady jobs throughout the recession,” Van Horn said Monday.