A survey of 895 workers in the finance and information technology industry has found that 72 per cent respondents believe certain ethnic groups are on the receiving end of ethnic stereotyping and racist attitudes.

The survey conducted by Balance Recruitment found that workers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and China were more likely to encounter prejudice in hiring in Australia.

“The issue of racism in hiring practices is significant, though the vast majority of clients do not discriminate on racial grounds,” Balance’s joint managing director Paul Foster said. Those who felt racism was a major issue came from backgrounds including Anglo-Saxon, African and Asian. Eight per cent of respondents believe ethnic stereotyping was warranted.