Sex industry jobs which could lead to exploitation will be banned from Jobcentres, Minister for Employment Chris Grayling announced today.
The move will serve to protect people who are anxious to get work from feeling they have to consider jobs that they aren’t comfortable with. Jobcentre Plus will implement an immediate ban to certain jobs and Ministers will push through legislation to enshrine the commitment.
Minister for Employment Chris Grayling said:
“It’s absolutely wrong that the Government advertises jobs that could support the exploitation of people. We’ve taken immediate action today to stop certain adult entertainment vacancies from being advertised through Jobcentre Plus. We shouldn’t put vulnerable people in an environment where they’re exposed to these types of jobs and could feel under pressure to work in the sex industry.”
Jobcentre Plus will no longer advertise jobs that involve the direct sexual stimulation of others because publicly funded services should not be a conduit to this work. The ban would cover such jobs as lap dancers, web-cam performers, and strippers. However, Jobcentre Plus will continue to accept other vacancies in the retail, manufacturing and distribution sectors of the industry. A cleaning job in a lap dancing club could still be advertised for example.
The ban follows a public consultation that revealed significant public concern about Jobcentre Plus advertising jobs in the sex industry. The consultation also indicated that the people who worked in this industry could be vulnerable to harassment and discrimination. The change in policy will also serve to protect people who use Jobcentre Plus services from taking jobs where they could experience this.
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