With an unemployment rate hovering around 9.5 percent, there is no shortage of obstacles and competition for those who are looking for work. One obstacle that is particularly disheartening for unemployed job-searchers is the increasing number of job ads that specifically inform the currently unemployed that they need not apply.

Representative Hank Johnson (D-GA), as reported by the HuffingtonPost, was "troubled" by job ads that only sought applications from those who are currently employed. This disturbing trend led Rep. Johnson to introduce the Fair Employment Act of 2011.

The Act seeks to add the unemployed to the groups protected under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Currently, the Civil Rights Act protects workers from discrimination based race, color, sex, religion and national origin. According to Rep. Johnson, unemployment status should be considered a similarly protected class as this status is (usually) brought on by no fault of one's own.

If an unemployed job-searcher were to bring a claim under the proposed Fair Employment Act, according to Rep. Johnson, the burden of proof would be on that person to prove that his or her employment status resulted in discrimination.

Given the current state of economy, all workers should be encouraged by the potential removal of this obstacle of employment, as an individual truly never knows when they may join the ranks of the unemployed job-searcher.