The
Association of Online Recruiters (AOLR) has called for the Department of Trade
and Industry (DTI) to clarify the status of job boards in relation to new
regulations which come into effect tomorrow.
The
AOLR, which represents many of the UK’s leading internet job boards, believes
the status of job boards under the “Conduct of Employment Agencies and
Employment Business Regulations 2004” (EAA Regs) is unclear.
In
November 2002, the AOLR, in conjunction with the Recruitment and Employment
Confederation (REC), presented a submission to the DTI, as part of the EAA
consultation, explaining why job boards should be excluded from the EAA Regs,
in the same way that the placement of classified job and skills advertising in
the print media is excluded.
To
comply with the EAA Regs, job boards would be required to check and verify
every job advertised and the identity, background and skills of every
individual posting a CV – an impossible task given the huge number of jobs and
CVs posted on job boards every day.
Although
the DTI has already committed to a further consultation process to look
specifically at job boards, it has failed to clear up this issue before the
finalised EAA Regs, despite being urged to do so for 18 months by the REC and
AOLR.
From
tomorrow, any recruitment agency wishing to do business with another agency,
such as a job board, has to satisfy itself that the second agency is qualified
to act as an agency.
Since
the position of job boards is still subject to a consultation process, the lack
of clarity on this issue from the DTI is causing confusion within the
recruitment industry.
Bill
Shipton, chairman of AOLR, said: “The potential impact of this confusion is
that job boards will lose revenue, agencies will suffer from lack of
candidates, employers will be unable to fill jobs and work seekers will be
unable to find new employment.
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"The
whole situation is totally unacceptable and I have written to the secretary of
state at the DTI to ask that the department provides immediate clarity on the
position of job boards,” he said.
