Work prejudice 'takes new forms'

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Traditional as well as new forms of discrimination are prevalent in the workforce worldwide, an International Labour Organization report has shown.

Gays and lesbians, people with HIV/Aids or disabilities and women all face new and subtle forms of discrimination.

Despite increasing their numbers in the workforce, women earn less than men for the same jobs throughout the world.

The US is the only industrialised nation to have neither equal pay nor anti-discrimination laws.

"It's striking to see how everywhere in the world, irrespective of how rich or how poor a country is, or what type of political system it has, discrimination is there," said Manuela Tomei, the report's author.

The report, called Equality At Work: Tackling The Challenges, reveals "newly emerging forms of discrimination".

Forms of discrimination based on age and sexual orientation are emerging, while practices penalising people with genetic predisposition to certain illnesses or those with lifestyles deemed unhealthy are increasing.

More than 60% of people with disabilities are of working age, but face a unemployment rate up to 100% higher than average non-disabled workers.

Regional differences

Europe has developed some of the "broadest and most effective" social policies against discrimination, but discrimination continues, with migrants and minorities suffering in particular, the ILO says.

In Asia, a persistent form of discrimination is based on caste.

Some 163 of the ILO's 180 members have now signed a protocol demanding equal remuneration, but certain Arab states still have not.

In the Middle East and North Africa, although progress has been made on combating gender bias, women still face "widespread challenges in entering the workforce".

Muslims and people from the Middle East have seen workplace discrimination worsen in recent years in the industrialised world, the report found.

Women in top-ranking legal and management positions remain a "distinct minority", despite their growth in the labour force.

In the US and Canada, they hold 40% of these posts, while in the Middle East this figure is only 11%.

The report sets out a number of recommendations, including better laws and enforcement, as well as more effective non-regulatory initiatives such as lending and investment policies.