Firms were urged yesterday not to question people about criminal records when they apply for a job in a bid to tackle “widespread discrimination” against ex-offenders.

Charity Business in the Community (Bic) pressed companies to remove the criminal record disclosure tick box from job application forms.

One in five unemployed jobseekers has a criminal conviction, Bic said, yet too many employers have an exaggerated fear of hiring them.

Around 25 employers with a combined workforce of 200,000 had removed the criminal record tick box from their recruitment literature in the past year, a Bic report reveals, enabling ex-offenders to compete fairly for jobs.

“Business has a huge opportunity and responsibility to make the workplace more accessible to talented ex-offenders that simply want to contribute their skills to society,” said Bic employment director Catherine Sermon.

“Yet too many companies have an exaggerated fear of recruiting people with criminal convictions and a misconception that employing them is risky business.”