A quarter of hiring managers say they are less likely to move forward with Jewish applicants, a survey conducted by an American recruitment firm has discovered.

The November 18 Resume Builder poll of 1,131 recruiters found that 23 per cent say they want fewer Jews in their industry, while 17 per cent claim managers have told them not to hire Jews.

The top reason for discriminating against Jews, the results show, is a supposed fear of their “power and control”.

A third say antisemitism is common in the workplace, compared to just 29 per cent who say Jew hate is unacceptable in their company.

Stacie Haller, executive recruiter and career counsellor, told Resume Builder the data shows a disturbing number of hiring managers not only admit to antisemitism privately, but actively work to keep Jews out of their company.

“Antisemitism in the workplace starts at the hiring process with individuals who do not want to higher Jews because of bigoted stereotypes, but that is not where it ends,” she said.

“Given that nearly one-third say antisemitism is common and acceptable in their workplace, it’s evident that antisemitism extends way beyond the hiring process. 

“In this era of fighting for equality in hiring, Jewish individuals have largely been left out of the conversation, and the issue of antisemitism has for the most part gone unaddressed.

“Organisations need to commit to oversight, training, and having meaningful conversations about antisemitism. Removing prejudice and ensuring the workplace is equal, fair, and accessible for all is not an easy challenge for organisations to tackle, but it’s absolutely essential.”

The survey also revealed that 26 per cent of hiring managers make decisions about who is Jewish based upon a candidate’s appearance. 

While 56 per cent said they came to believe candidates were Jewish because they had confirmed it themselves, 33 per cent said they identified their ethnic background via their surname.

Shockingly, some recruiters claimed they had identified Jews thanks to their “voice,” their “mannerisms,” or because, “they are very frugal.”

When asked why they did not move forward with applications from Jews, 38 per cent said they believed they have too much power or control. 

The belief that Jews consider themselves the “chosen people” was also given by 38 per cent of those discriminating, while 35 per cent said Jews had too much wealth.

Other reasons provided included "Jews are greedy", "Jews killed Jesus", "Jews are an inferior race", "Jews are oppressors" and "Jews are less capable".

Attitudes towards Jews do appear to be improving, however. While nine per cent say they have a less favourable attitude towards Jews than five years ago, 31 per cent claim their attitude has improved. 60 per cent report no change.