90% won't hire the overweight - despite lawsuit threat

Up to nine out of ten recruiting managers wouldn't hire a candidate who is obese, according to new research.

A study by a UK-based employment law consultancy found that bosses would rather employ the thinner of the two candidates, especially if the job involved working with the public. In the wake of a recent European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling that obesity can in some extreme cases be a disability, it opens up a whole new area of concern for businesses.

Protecting.co.uk, who conducted the study, claim that not only are managers concerned about their company image, but they also think that obese people are more likely to have health problems that might result in time off work.