SYDNEY // A university study has uncovered widespread racial discrimination against Middle-Eastern job seekers in Australia.
In a far-reaching experiment, academics in Canberra have found that Australian companies are far less likely to interview a prospective employee with a Middle-Eastern, Chinese, aboriginal or Italian name than a white, Anglo-Saxon applicant with the same qualifications.
Researchers sent out 4,000 fictitious resumes in response to job advertisements for entry-level positions in hospitality, sales, data entry and customer service in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
"My co-authors and I were interested in trying to look at the extent of ethnic and racial discrimination in Australia," said Andrew Leigh, an economics professor at the Australian National University.
The fake resumes state that all candidates had attended secondary school in Australia and had the same work experience. Only the names differed.
The results have shown that finding employment can be a frustrating battle for ethnic applicants, regardless of their credentials, with job hunters from a Middle-Eastern background having to submit 64 per cent more resumes than their Anglo-Saxon counterparts to secure an interview.
"It is consistent with some theories that talk about the melting pot taking a long time to simmer," Mr Leigh added. "If we had done this study in 1950s Australia, it might well have been that there was a lot more discrimination against Italian migrants who were then fresh off the boat. It may be now that Middle Eastern and Chinese applicants who have arrived more recently are suffering more racial discrimination."
The outcome of the study has surprised the research team, which had expected indigenous Australians to be worse off as they already suffer chronic disadvantage in so many other areas, such as health and education.
The level of prejudice in the workplace has varied from city to city, with Sydney belying its reputation as an engaging cosmopolitan hub. It was the least tolerant of the major centres and the worst place for Middle-Eastern and Chinese job-seekers.
"A big influx of migrants doesn't make people more tolerant, it makes them in the short-run less tolerant," Mr Leigh said.
Jamal Daoud, 42, a Saudi-born Palestinian who moved to Australia in 1996, has felt the full force of religious and racial bigotry in the labour market.
"There was a customer service job at an Australian airport, and they were impressed with my resume but they were suspicious of my name," said Mr Daoud, who was initially called on the telephone to assess his suitability for an interview but the conversation ended abruptly when he said that he had been born in Saudi Arabia.
"It comes to their mind that Muslims and Saudis who are around aeroplanes will be repeating the 11th of September without knowing that the majority of Muslims are condemning such action," Mr Daoud said.
"The rejection made me very depressed. We hoped that with time things will get better, but we discovered now it is getting worse."
"I am starting to feel that I am besieged. This is daily life for us. There are highly qualified people who are working in security, as a taxi driver or in a convenience store and I meet such people every day."
For three of the past six years this well-skilled Muslim migrant has been unemployed and he is currently holding down a low-paying position in the public service.
Mr Daoud is understandably upset that Australia has not seen fit to harness his talents. His qualifications include a bachelor's degree in veterinary medicine, a postgraduate certificate in politics and a diploma in teaching English as a second language.
Others looking to escape the unemployment queue in Australia have changed their names to bury their Islamic heritage; a man called Mohammed became Michael to get a start in real estate, while another, Bilal, became Billy to secure opportunities in the finance world.
"It is common. There are people who are urging us to change our names so that we can hide our real identity and culture. That way we would be less likely to be targeted by discrimination," Mr Daoud said.
Business groups do not believe that such problems are widespread and have disputed the findings of the Australian National University study.
"We were surprised because any routine observation of Australian workplaces right across the economy shows the diversity that is seen in Australian society," said Greg Evans, the acting chief executive of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
"Australian employers value that diversity and they recruit people on a non-discriminatory basis based on who is most appropriate to fill certain roles."
Although Mr Leigh and his fellow researchers have unearthed a worrying seam of prejudice, they are hopeful it might just be unconscious discrimination where employers have lazily picked Anglo-Saxon names they feel familiar with, shortcomings that can be addressed through education and greater awareness.
"While we can't fully rule out that there is something very sinister going on here," Mr Leigh said. "I'm more optimistic that people are making mistakes rather than being out-and-out nasty."
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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Biography
Favourite drink: Must have karak chai and Chinese tea every day
Favourite non-Chinese food: Arabic sweets and Indian puri, small round bread of wheat flour
Favourite Chinese dish: Spicy boiled fish or anything cooked by her mother because of its flavour
Best vacation: Returning home to China
Music interests: Enjoys playing the zheng, a string musical instrument
Enjoys reading: Chinese novels, romantic comedies, reading up on business trends, government policy changes
Favourite book: Chairman Mao Zedong’s poems
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlmouneer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dr%20Noha%20Khater%20and%20Rania%20Kadry%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEgypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E120%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%2C%20with%20support%20from%20Insead%20and%20Egyptian%20government%2C%20seed%20round%20of%20%3Cbr%3E%243.6%20million%20led%20by%20Global%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
If you go
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Luang Prabang via Bangkok, with a return flight from Chiang Rai via Bangkok for about Dh3,000, including taxes. Emirates and Thai Airways cover the same route, also via Bangkok in both directions, from about Dh2,700.
The cruise
The Gypsy by Mekong Kingdoms has two cruising options: a three-night, four-day trip upstream cruise or a two-night, three-day downstream journey, from US$5,940 (Dh21,814), including meals, selected drinks, excursions and transfers.
The hotels
Accommodation is available in Luang Prabang at the Avani, from $290 (Dh1,065) per night, and at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort from $1,080 (Dh3,967) per night, including meals, an activity and transfers.
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Company%20profile
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