BBC among employers to back ‘blind recruitment’ in bid to curb discrimination

Major employers such as HSBC and the BBC are to introduce “blind” recruitment of graduates in a bid to curb discrimination against candidates with “ethnic-sounding names”, David Cameron announced. The Prime Minister, who railed against employment discrimination in his Conservative Party conference speech, is hosting a meeting at Downing Street to discuss the issue. Number 10 said Deloitte, Virgin Money and KPMG would also begin selecting for interview for graduate and apprentice roles without knowing names.

We want to show that everyone can thrive, develop and succeed in our firm based on their talent, regardless of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or any other dimension that can be used to differentiate people from one another.

Deloitte chief executive David Sproul

The PM said in his conference speech that having a “white-sounding” name made you nearly twice as likely to get a call-back from an application than someone equally qualified. He said it was “ disgraceful” in 21st century Britain that one black graduate had only got interviews after changing her name to Elizabeth. It is hoped the practice will be spread further across the private sector by being incorporated into training courses run by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

It’s vital that the Civil Service takes a lead on this, and I’m confident that this important step will help us build an organisation that is even more talented, diverse and effective than it is today.

Civil Service chief executive John Manzoni

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