The government announced Wednesday that it has begun to 1)put 2)"blind hiring" into force for all public jobs ― a major step to change the country's highly intrusive recruitment practices. Most 3)notably, state-run companies are no longer allowed to request job applicants' photos and information that isn't directly related to job, including their physical appearance, family background and the names of schools they attended.
 The Ministry of Employment and Labor said it will 4)distribute new guidelines to all 332 public institutions, which must 5)carry out the policy immediately. The 149 public institutions 6)under the control of local governments will 7)follow suit next month after receiving the ministry's education.
 "The government 8)came up with the policy to ensure that all job seekers can compete fairly," Vice Minister Yi Sung-ki said.
 But exceptions are allowed for certain positions. Employers, for example, may ask about the job applicants' eyesight for security positions. Even then the information they request should only be "essentially job-related." Also during job interviews, employers should continue to 9)comply with the rule: no questions about anything unrelated to work.


 The ministry will also 10)push ahead with making a law to require private firms to do the same. Meanwhile, it plans to distribute the recruitment manuals to 400 major firms and run training for them.
 Most private companies, however, remain 11)reluctant to follow suit despite President Moon Jae-in's efforts to change the country's "12)discriminatory hiring practices."
 According to a survey by job portal Saramin, only 6.1 private firms hire people through blind screening. When asked whether they 13)are willing to 14)adopt the system, 52 percent said "no."
 "The key point of the policy is to 15)eliminate 16)bias in the hiring process," Yi said. "Some argue that it is discriminatory against those who studied hard to get into good schools, but if they have the abilities (that 17)live up to the school names), they will still be able to make it."
 Korea has long been 18)notorious for its intrusive hiring practices that require job applicants to 19)reveal not only sensitive personal information, such as weight, height and blood type, but also their parents' professions and income levels. It has been over a decade since the National Human Rights Commission advised companies not to do so in 2003. Yet little had changed ― until President Moon made an announcement last month to shake up the system up during a media briefing.
 Perhaps Korean jobseekers have become 20)numb to such discrimination, but it is considered illegal in many developed countries.
 In the United States, for example, questions about job applicants' height and weight may be viewed as illegal under federal law and could draw 21)lawsuits unless the question is 22)relevant to the job.

By Jung Min-ho
Published:2017-07-05
Source:The Korea Times

<Words & Expressions>

1) put~into force: [법률]을 실시하다, 시행하다
2) blind hiring: 블라인드 채용[서로 모르는 남녀가 소개팅하는 것을 blind date라고 하 는 점을 참고할 것]
3) notably: 특히
4) distribute~to: 배부하다
5) carry out: ~을 수행하다
6) Under the control of: ~의 지배[관리]를 받고
7) follow suit after: ~에 따르다
8) come up with: [해답 등을] 찾아내다[내놓다]
9) comply with: 준수하다
10) push ahead with: [~을] 단호하게 밀고 나가다[밀어붙이다]
11) reluctant to: [~을] 주저하는
12) discriminatory: 차별적인
13) be willing to: 흔쾌히 ~하다
14) adopt: [정책 등을 투표로] 채택하다, 입양하다
15) eliminate: 제거하다
16) bias: 편견
17) live up to: 합당하다, [다른 사람의 기대에] 부응하다
18) notorious: 악명 높은
19) reveal: [비밀 등을] 드러내다
20 numb: 감각이 없는
21) lawsuit: 소송
22) relevant to: ~에 관련된