When it comes to working in the UK, there are a number of legal rights that a person has. Whether you’re working with a recruitment agency to find temporary positions or looking for a permanent job, these laws apply to you. They also apply across all industries, including the medical industry, construction work, and professional jobs.

One may be interested to know that the UK doesn’t actually have any civil rights laws on the book. However, laws were passed in the 1970s that prevent discrimination in much the same manner as civil rights laws do in other countries. These laws prohibit employers and recruitment agencies from discriminating based on race, colour, religion, age, disability, and sexuality. This guarantees everyone has the same right to apply for a job. Note that UK discrimination laws cover sexuality—many other countries do not protect against discrimination based on sexuality.

These discrimination laws do not differ for private and public organisations. It does not matter if you are applying with a private company or for a public position such as with a school or government position. However, there are some exceptions to discrimination laws. A woman’s only gym, for example, may only hire women since the gym promises a workout area exclusive to women. Discriminated based on disability is not legal, but it is legal to not hire a disabled person if they are not physically able to do the job. Obviously, this is where the law gets into grey areas, but the bottom line is that no employer or recruitment agency can discriminate when it comes to hiring individuals.