Do you think those employers want to turn away qualified people and keep the positions vacant?
No, but they might want to turn away a specific employee for an otherwise protected reason. Don't want to hire a black employee? Run a credit check. Statistically, black individuals have lower credit scores than white individuals. Deny them a job based on their credit score.
While that makes some sense, I'm apparently having a hard time getting over my conception that a private business would ever give the rejected candidate a specific reason they were denied the position. Surely this is cultural on my part.
In the past, this was common.
People would tell you why, and as a result, you might be able to respond with a reason, or, fix the perceived deficiency.
Now everyone is afraid of being sued, and all sorts of court cases in the last decade or two, validate that fear.
So now no one tells, and therefore, no one knows why.
And so, you never get a chance to explain, or give context, or even prove a mark against you is in error.
Sometimes, social justice solutions can backfire.
In California, it is illegal to use a credit report in employment decisions (unless the position is in finance/accounting). Clearly lawmakers have decided that this sort of test isn't helpful, and is abused to deny qualified people employment.