Job opportunities influenced by worker's ethnicities, study suggests

14 October 2019, 00:01

A majority professionals with black or Asian heritage believe their chances of getting a job have been reduced because of their ethnicity, a new study has suggested.

A survey of 5,200 adults showed that women and older people also feel their chances of being hired are lowered because of inequalities in recruitment.

Recruiters Hays said its study found that women were more than twice as likely to feel their chances of selection are lowered due to their gender than men, as are members of the LGBTQ+ community and people with disabilities.

The biggest discrepancy was among professionals with black or Asian heritage, with more than four out of five believing their chances of being hired were hit because of their ethnicity, said the report.

The report said "blind recruitment" and diverse interview panels can tackle the issue, especially as it would make women and those with black and Asian heritage feel more confident about the recruitment process.

Yvonne Smyth of Hays said: "It's clear from our research that despite greater awareness of the impact of unconscious bias, most professionals still feel their chances of being chosen for a job have been hindered based on identifying factors, particularly when it comes to ethnicity.

"Our findings indicate that in order to address this, employers need to look at the beginning of their recruitment process and consider implementing blind recruitment techniques as well as diversifying their interview panels."