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[forum admin]

A total of 1,000 CVs were sent to employers to test whether candidates with ethnic minority names were treated differently to those with traditional British names.

It followed suggestions that people with Asian or African sounding surnames are less likely to be offered an interview than those with similar qualifications who appeared to come from Anglo Saxon backgrounds.

But there were warnings that it could lead to a new law banning companies from asking for an applicant's name before the job interview stage.

The stunt was carried out by the Ethnic Minority Employment Taskforce, which was set up by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

It insisted that it was not an undercover ploy to catch individual firms exercising passive discrimination.

But the British Chambers of Commerce described the move as "underhand".

A spoekswoman for the DWP said: "The Ethnic Minority Employment Taskforce is charged with finding a solution to the persistent employment gap experienced by ethnic minorities.

This research was commissioned by the taskforce to identify and tackle any underlying causes.

"It is not about highlighting any individual company and all information gathered will remain completely anonymous."

She added that the idea of a "no names" rule in job applications was "five or six steps down the line".

[Gota]

I don't think this is underhand at all. I wish they would make the results public.

[Robin Tetley]

A no names rule on job applications is five or six steps down the line? I don't understand practically how that could ever be the case. And somebody could still be discriminated against at the interview stage whether they were the best candidate for the job or not.

[Malcolm]

I agree that discrimination could still happen at a later stage but a nameless application I think would be a step in the right direction.

[Robin Tetley]

Do you know/have you heard much about this then? Because I don't understand how it could happen? I mean how would they get back to you? Many people have their name's as their email addresses and funnyguy1971@whatever.com is hardly professional.