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26-Jun-08 11:15 [Research]
Accent discrimination 'rife in the workplace' Over three-quarters of employers have admitted to discriminating against interviewees because of their accent, new research has suggested.
Recruitment firm Peninsula conducted a survey of over 2,500 employers and 1,500 staff, which found that 63 per cent of employees admitted to hiding their accent in a job interview.
A poll of the "worst" accents found Birmingham to be the most disliked, with Liverpool, Newcastle, Glaswegian and London cockney making up the top five.
"It's becoming evident, if you have a job interview, you must hide your accent! It is a type of discrimination that is hardly ever publicised but is however a prominent issue in today's working world," stated Peter Done, managing director of Peninsula.
He added that it is a "grey area" in the law because there is no specific legislation governing against the discrimination of regional accents.
Some 72 per cent of employees claim to know someone who has been victimised at work because of their accent, according to other finding in the survey.
Earlier in the month, the Fawcett society sent an open letter to the prime minister demanding the government take tougher action on equal pay, stating the progress towards achieving this goal is moving too slowly.
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