Manchester is ‘worst city’ for interview discrimination
Nearly a third (30%) of professionals in Manchester have experience discrimination during an interview – more than any other UK.
This is according to the latest study from CV-Library the independent job board.
The survey of 1,200 workers, sought to reveal how many professionals have been affected by interview discrimination, and the reasons for this.
The data found that the most common reasons for the prejudice were because of their age (48.1%), gender (11.1%) and religion (7.4%).
Worse still, nearly half (43%) of workers in Manchester don’t know their rights when it comes to interview discrimination.
Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library, said: “It’s concerning to see that interview discrimination is so rife in Manchester, especially given that this is such a diverse city.
“More worryingly, half of professionals in Manchester don’t know their rights should they be affected. If you experience prejudice during an interview, be sure to get in touch with the business and request comprehensive feedback as to their decision not to hire you. Alternatively, get in touch with your local Citizens Advice Bureau for more information.”
Furthermore, nearly two thirds (63.2%) of workers in Manchester believe that interview discrimination happens often and that the best way to solve this is with better training of interviewers (35.6%).
Further suggestions include: more awareness of the issue (27.6%) interviewers following a set list of questions for all candidates (11.5%), and two or more interviewers being made to attend (5.7%).
Biggins concludes: “It’s certainly worrying that so many professionals in Manchester believe discrimination is a common occurrence during interviews.
“ That said, there are steps that can be taken to reduce the likelihood of this happening and raising awareness around the situation is the first hurdle to tackle.
“If you believe you’ve been discriminated against it’s important to speak out – this is a subject that needs to be discussed so that we can begin to find a permanent solution.”
