Recruiters routinely discriminate against job candidates from ethnic minorities in favour of their white rivals, alleges the charity Race for Opportunity.

To back their claims, Race for Opportunity issued figures showing only 29% of black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates (BAME) were offered jobs, while 44% of white job seekers found a post.

Around 57% of BAME candidates were invited for an interview, against 73% of white applicants, claims the report, Race and Recruitment: exposing the barriers.

Sandra Kerr, director at Race for Opportunity, said: “Tough economic times and rising unemployment levels mean that the current job market is extremely competitive, with a high number of applications for every role.

“If BAME candidates are not being treated fairly by the recruiters at all stages of the job application process, then they are at a distinct disadvantage from the outset.”

Many BAME job candidates blamed their failure to find work on application handling by recruitment consultancies,  who asked employers to consider them for roles that did not match their skill sets.

The study also looked at job applicants who applied directly to an employer – and found that an equal proportion (29%) of both BAME and white applicants found a post this way.

Many recruiters blame the high BAME rejection rate on government policy that forces employers to kick out applications from overseas nationals who cannot prove they have a right of residence in the UK.

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), the trade body for job agencies, responded that recruiters had no reason not to shortlist the best candidates.

“An immediate priority is to dig beneath some of these findings as there are always a number of factors at play when employers decide who to offer a job to, such as a candidate’s qualifications and work experience,” said Tom Hadley, REC’s director of policy and professional services.

“Most of the recommendations in the report complement the processes and policies we already have in place as an industry,” he continued. “We now need to move the agenda forward and recognise the positive role that the vast majority of recruiters play in getting people into interviews and into work.”