UK think tank calls for anonymous CVs to tackle discrimination against Muslims

Anonymous job applications should be made compulsory for large employers in order to address the under-representation of British Muslims in top jobs, according to a report by the think tank Demos.

The authors of the report analysed data from the UK census and Labour Force Survey, and found that only 16% of British Muslims are in managerial and professional occupations, compared to 30% of the population as a whole. Muslims were also disproportionately likely to be unemployed, with Muslim women particularly under-represented in the labor force, according to the study.

In addition to tackling discrimination by legislating to make CVs anonymous, the report makes a range of recommendations including boosting access to social capital and professional networks, addressing attitudes to Muslim women in the workplace, and providing better career guidance to students.

Co-author of the report Louis Reynolds commented that: “Our national conversation about integration almost always focus on abstract values and attitudes, and too infrequently considers the practical factors that also play such a strong a role in people’s social and economic advancement. As this report shows, a few achievable changes in education, local authority support, and renewed commitments from Muslim communities and employers, could go a long way towards correcting the underrepresentation of Muslims amongst the UK’s top jobs.”