Online job applications discriminate against the old

According to recent research published today on Personnel Today:

"Companies who hire staff using only online application forms could be found guilty of age discrimination as they are excluding certain age groups unable to access the Internet, a law firm has warned."

Is this really a possibility?  Or is David Israel of Wedlake Bell having a laugh at our expense?

OK, so Figures from the Office for National Statistics state that in 2006, 55% of people aged 50 or over in the UK had not used a computer in the previous three months (compared to 13% of 16- to 30-year-olds).

But, using the latest data from August 2007 it also shows that areas such as Hull (favourite place of Guru) have lower Internet usage than anywhere else in the UK.  It also states that men use the Internet more often than women (hmmmm), and only the 65+ age range don't use the Internet that often albeit this group has shown a 60% growth over 2006.

So this could mean that not only are employers being ageist by recruiting online but also:

• Sexist (against women).
• Northernist (against Hull in particular).

The report does of course state that results can fluctuate due to sampling variability which may mean that men included a lot of things when defining what they did most online i.e. 88% were finding information about goods or services!

Lies damn lies and statistics as they say!