<p>It pays to anglicise your name in Canada - not only to fit in but also find employment.<br /><br />The startling fact that discrimination is rampant in Canada came to light when the study team sent thousands of applications to Canadian employers.<br /><br />They found those "with English names like Jill Wilson or John Martin received interview callbacks 40 percent more often than identical resumes with names like Sana Khan or Lei Li", a university statement said Wednesday. <br />"The findings suggest that Canadians and immigrants with non-English names face discrimination by employers and help to explain why skilled immigrants arriving under Canada's point system - with university degrees and significant work experience - fare poorly in today's labour market," the statement added.<br /><br />"The findings suggest that a distinct foreign-sounding name may be a significant disadvantage on the job market - even if you are a second- or third-generation citizen," said study leader and university economics professor Philip Oreopoulos.<br />As part of the study, Oreopoulous and his team prepared 6,000 mock resumes to represent new immigrants and Canadians with and without non-English names. <br /><br />Each resume listed a bachelor's degree and four to six years of experience, with name and domestic or foreign education and work experience randomly assigned.<br />These resumes were e-mailed to 2,000 online job postings advertised by employers in 20 occupational categories in the Greater Toronto Area.<br /><br />Oreopoulous said: "If employers are engaging in name-based discrimination, they may be contravening the Human Rights Act.<br />"They may also be missing out on hiring the best person for the job."<br /><br />The study also showed the in-built bias against immigrants with no previous job experience in Canada. <br /><br /></p>
<p>It pays to anglicise your name in Canada - not only to fit in but also find employment.<br /><br />The startling fact that discrimination is rampant in Canada came to light when the study team sent thousands of applications to Canadian employers.<br /><br />They found those "with English names like Jill Wilson or John Martin received interview callbacks 40 percent more often than identical resumes with names like Sana Khan or Lei Li", a university statement said Wednesday. <br />"The findings suggest that Canadians and immigrants with non-English names face discrimination by employers and help to explain why skilled immigrants arriving under Canada's point system - with university degrees and significant work experience - fare poorly in today's labour market," the statement added.<br /><br />"The findings suggest that a distinct foreign-sounding name may be a significant disadvantage on the job market - even if you are a second- or third-generation citizen," said study leader and university economics professor Philip Oreopoulos.<br />As part of the study, Oreopoulous and his team prepared 6,000 mock resumes to represent new immigrants and Canadians with and without non-English names. <br /><br />Each resume listed a bachelor's degree and four to six years of experience, with name and domestic or foreign education and work experience randomly assigned.<br />These resumes were e-mailed to 2,000 online job postings advertised by employers in 20 occupational categories in the Greater Toronto Area.<br /><br />Oreopoulous said: "If employers are engaging in name-based discrimination, they may be contravening the Human Rights Act.<br />"They may also be missing out on hiring the best person for the job."<br /><br />The study also showed the in-built bias against immigrants with no previous job experience in Canada. <br /><br /></p>