Public petition n°4303

Petitioner: Andrey Lebedev

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Introduce legislation requiring employers in Luxembourg to provide specific, written and factual reasons for rejecting job applicants. The legislation should establish the following obligations: Specific feedback: Identify the professional skills, qualifications, experience or assessment results decisive in the rejection. Generic explanations must not be considered sufficient. Clear justification: Distinguish between candidates who fail to meet essential requirements and qualified candidates rejected in favour of another applicant, specifying the decisive selection criteria. Documented selection criteria: Establish selection criteria before evaluating candidates and document recruitment decisions. Record retention: Retain recruitment assessments and decisions for a legally defined period, in compliance with data protection legislation. Independent review: Allow candidates to request an independent examination where reasonable grounds exist to suspect discrimination, favouritism or other irregularities. Enforcement: Establish reasonable deadlines for providing feedback, effective oversight mechanisms and proportionate sanctions for non-compliance. The required level of detail should reflect the stage reached in the recruitment process.

In a competitive labour market with elevated unemployment, the lack of transparency in recruitment creates significant concerns regarding fairness and accountability. Job applicants frequently receive generic rejection messages or no response, even after completing multiple interviews and professional assessments. Without meaningful explanations, candidates cannot identify shortcomings in their qualifications, improve their employability or assess whether recruitment decisions were objectively justified. Opaque recruitment procedures can also facilitate nepotism, favouritism and discrimination. Furthermore, the theoretical possibility of unofficial blacklists circulating between employers or recruitment agencies raises concerns about candidates being systematically excluded without their knowledge or an opportunity to challenge such practices. Mandatory, verifiable recruitment feedback, supported by documented selection criteria and independent oversight, would help prevent arbitrary decisions, protect applicants' rights and strengthen public confidence in the fairness of Luxembourg's labour market.