Federal law prohibits discriminating against job seekers because of race or gender, so being asked to volunteer such information in a job application may seem odd. However, companies ask the questions to collect data for the government showing they are attempting to interview and hire diverse candidates.

Regarding employment opportunities, the report shows that the share of ethnic and racial minority workers in skilled -managerial, professional and technical- occupations is lower than that of workers in the majority or dominant ethnic group in a majority of countries with data.

While using racial information in screening is often discriminatory and illegal, asking for a candidate’s race on the application isn’t illegal on its own. However, employers are susceptible to discrimination lawsuits by asking candidates about race and not proving a legitimate use.

On most job applications, it’s up to the applicant’s discretion whether to answer a race question at all. And of course, employers aren’t supposed to consider race when making hiring decisions. “It is almost impossible to tell what race someone is just by appearance,” Kalish says.

Application forms should not have questions that ask directly or indirectly about race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, record of offences, age, marital status, family status or disability.

No, with limited exceptions. Under the ADA, an employer generally may not require an applicant to disclose information about a disability or medical impairment prior to making an offer of employment.

Although the concept of race is often associated with ethnicity, the terms are not synonymous. Race includes phenotypic characteristics such as skin color, whereas ethnicity also encompasses cultural factors such as nationality, tribal affiliation, religion, language and traditions of a particular group (Fig 1).

Ethnicity Categories Hispanic or Latino: A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. The term, “Spanish origin”, can be used in addition to “Hispanic or Latino”.

The world population can be divided into 4 major races, namely white/Caucasian, Mongoloid/Asian, Negroid/Black, and Australoid.

(A) The old concept of the “five races:” African, Asian, European, Native American, and Oceanian. According to this view, variation between the races is large, and thus, the each race is a separate category. Additionally, individual races are thought to have a relatively uniform genetic identity.

Get to Know Your Family Tree.

1. Take a Look. Go to FamilySearch.org/tree and sign in. View your tree in portrait view (pictured).
2. Add More. If you have less than 3 generations, go to familysearch.org/first-run to fill things in.
3. Search and Link. Click on an ancestor’s name in the Family Tree, then on Person.

Text: Advancements in facial recognition and DNA sequencing technology have allowed scientists to create a portrait of a person based on their genetic information.