AS many as three in four companies would rather break the law than employ a pregnant woman or one of child-bearing age.
Research by the Recruit-ment and Employment Confederation asked 122 members whether companies had ever told them to avoid hiring such women.
Of the 98 agencies that replied, 75 per cent said they had.
The news comes as this winter marks the 30th anniversary of the Sex Discrimination Act.
which aimed to safeguard pregnant women in the workplace and made such practices illegal.
Tom Hadley, of the REC, said: "Our survey confirms that more work is needed to inform and provide practical guidance to employers, in particular to small businesses.
"One of the reasons for this is that it is becoming increasingly hard to cover for maternity leave in a very tight labour market.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article