ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the evolution of fair employment legislation in Northern Ireland. It outlines the characteristics of unemployment and reviews the impact of the unemployment problem on fair employment policy. The chapter deals with an assessment of the limitations of previous research on unemployment inequalities and long-term unemployment. The 1976 Fair Employment Act made direct discrimination on religious or political grounds by both public and private sector employers illegal. The 1989 Fair Employment Act, then, needs to be seen as the product of complex political pressures and growing evidence of the inadequacy of the original Act. In the Fair Employment Act the anti-discrimination principle does not underpin the regulatory powers and duties of the Fair Employment Commission except in the context of individual complaints. The unemployment differentials have remained almost constant for 25 years despite the Fair Employment Acts of 1976 and 1989.
