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Connecticut Limits Inquiries into Prospective Employees' Ages

By Lori Alexander and Kyle Roseman on July 29, 2021

On June 24, 2021, Governor Lamont signed into law Public Act 21-69, which adds to Connecticut's Fair Employment Practices Act an explicit ban on Connecticut employers inquiring into the ages of prospective employees "on an initial employment application." The new law, An Act Deterring Age Discrimination in Employment Applications, goes into effect on October 1, 2021.

Restrictions on Employers

Under the new law, Connecticut employers may not request or require prospective employees to provide the following information on an initial employment application:

  • their ages;
  • dates of birth; or
  • dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution.

Exceptions

Employers may request or require information related to an applicant's age if that information is based on a bona fide occupational qualification or need, or if the employer needs the information to comply with applicable state or federal laws.

What This Means for Employers

As a result of P.A. 21-69, employers should review their current job application forms and processes to ensure that they do not request or require job applicants to provide their ages, dates of birth, or dates of attendance or graduation from an educational institution. Employers also should verify that no other documents calling for this information are required of applicants with the initial employment application.

Employers should review any of their jobs for which age-related information is elicited to determine if there are applicable state or federal laws requiring them to collect age-identifying information or if there is a bona fide occupational qualification or need that justifies collecting this information. If that review indicates the employer may have a specific, justifiable need for the information, the employer should discuss the specific facts and circumstances with their legal counsel. If age-identifying information is needed to comply with state or federal law, or for another occupational qualification or need, those factors should be documented with Human Resources to support the presence of such questions on the initial application, in the event of a challenge.

In addition, since the new law is limited to information that is requested or required on an initial employment application, in certain circumstances age-identifying inquiries may be permissible for legitimate business reasons at a later stage in the hiring process. Employers should exercise caution, however, in eliciting information about age or any other protected characteristic and should do so only if the information is needed for legitimate non-discriminatory reasons and is not used as an impermissible factor in the hiring decision.

Finally, employers should ensure that employees engaged in the hiring process are educated about the new inquiry limitations.

This article was originally published on Littler Mendelson's website. Click here to read the original article.

© 2021 Littler Mendelson. All Rights Reserved. LITTLER MENDELSON®, ASAP®, INSIGHT® and LITTLER REPORT® are registered trademarks of Littler Mendelson, P.C.

Posted: August 2, 2021


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This document and/or presentation is provided as a service to our customers. Its contents are designed solely for informational purposes, and should not be inferred or understood as legal advice or binding case law, nor shared with any third parties. Persons in need of legal assistance should seek the advice of competent legal counsel. Although care has been taken in preparation of these materials, we cannot guarantee the accuracy, currency or completeness of the information contained within it. Anyone using this information does so at his or her own risk.

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