00:00 Nimash Pranapallige knows how to roll with the punches.
00:07 But when it came to finding a job after graduating, he says it's been an unfair fight.
00:13 He applied for over a hundred jobs, unsuccessfully until...
00:17 My full name is about 21 letters in total.
00:20 I just kind of like shortened it down to about eight letters.
00:23 Within a couple of weeks I was getting callbacks.
00:25 I guess it worked.
00:27 Ilham Musa had a similar experience, applying for hundreds of jobs over two years.
00:32 I probably only heard back from about three.
00:35 One of my friends actually mentioned that it could potentially be my name, that that
00:38 could be a hindrance.
00:39 A study from Monash Business found a 21.1% success rate for job applicants with English
00:45 names.
00:46 That figure drops to 11.6% for non-English names on written applications.
00:51 Studies from the Federal Education Department and Diversity Council this year back those
00:55 findings.
00:56 It's likely that there are race-based biases that are coming into play because someone
01:01 visually presents differently.
01:04 The Diversity Council, however, says employers are hurting themselves.
01:08 We know that organisations need diversity to become more innovative, to solve problems,
01:14 to be more creative, and the data is really, really clear.
01:19 Nimash eventually found work evaluating million-dollar properties.
01:23 He's decided to stick with his shortened name.
01:26 Ilham, on the other hand.
01:27 My name is my identity.
01:29 I shouldn't have to change it for any reason.
01:32 Everyone should be given a shot and you should only be tested on your capability.
01:37 Previous generations have fought this problem, and experts hope this data helps current and
01:42 future generations beat it.
01:44 (punching)
01:46 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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