Paying a smoother road for the unemployed.

• Author: Mejeur, Jeanne
• Position: TRENDS & TRANSITIONS - Law prohibiting discrimination against the unemployed

Being unemployed may make a person unemployable, according to a recent survey of 1,500 hiring managers by Bullhorn, a recruiting software and services company. Thirty-one percent of the recruiters surveyed said being unemployed for more than a year was the greatest impediment to finding a job, and 17 percent said being, jobless for even six months would hurt a person's chances of being hired.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that more than 12 million people are looking for jobs, and close to 5 million have been unemployed for 27 weeks or more, which classifies them as long-term unemployed. With a glut of candidates on the job hunt, many employers resort to thinning the applicant pool by refusing to consider anyone who is unemployed. It's become common practice in job postings to require applicants to either have a, job or have left one only recently.

About a third of the states have considered legislation to outlaw that practice, according to NCSL. Most bills seek greater fairness for out-of-work job seekers by prohibiting help wanted ads from listing current or recent employment as a requirement for applying.

New Jersey in 2011 became the first state to pass a law prohibiting discrimination against...