Job discrimination is a concern for many people.  Anytime an employer or potential employer illegally singles someone out they are guilty of job discrimination.  For many years, this type of discrimination was held as acceptable in all sectors of the business world. As of late, rules, regulatons and laws are in place to prevent job discrimination.

There are several common types of discrimination.  Sexual discrimination includes being singled out because of gender or sexual orientation.  Age discrimination is when one is singled out because they are perceived as being too old or too young to perform a particular job.  Racial discrimination is when one is singled out simply because of race, no matter what that race happens to be. A less commonly discussed form of job discrimination is that of retaliation.  This is when an employer discriminates against an employee who has filed a complaint about them.  The laws that protect against other forms of discrimination also protect people from further discrimination that is based on filing a complaint about the first offense.

There are many state and federal laws that protect people from being the target of job discrimination.  A few of these are the Age and Discrimination in Employment Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.  Many others are lumped together under the broad term of equal opportunity laws.  All of these laws are designed to give every individual an equal chance of being hired even if they are different physically or philosophically from their potential employer.

It can be difficult to know if one has been the subject of job discrimination, as it is often subtle.  If you suspect that you have been the victim of job discrimination you can contact your human resources department or the office of U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.