And one half of black and Asian people think that colour makes a difference to how individuals are treated at work.

The findings come more than a quarter of a century after racism in the workplace was banned in groundbreaking legislation.

But according to recent research, Black and Asian ethnic minority workers earn around �100 less per week than their white counterparts.

They are also more likely to be unemployed, and are less likely to be found in the higher ranks of management.

However, there is no wage gap for Indian men, and black women have been improving their occupational status much faster than black men.

Have you experienced discrimination in the workplace? Is institutional racism a problem within companies? How do you account for the different experiences of different minority groups?

After graduation I found it very tough to get a job in the field I studied. When I did, I found that white employees were groomed to become leaders and managers. We were only there as lower members of the teams with no chance of a position with influence or power. When I moved to the US I found that (in my field) there was noticeably lower discrimination. I found myself being a critical member of the team and worked up to higher positions. However, the glass ceiling exists here too... it is just higher than in the UK. Parts of the US are surprisingly careless when it comes to race, yet all of my experience in the UK has been negative. At one time I was even told point blank (by an agent working for a bank) that I could not get a mortgage for a house because I was Indian.
PC, Canada

Racism is alive and kicking not only in the workplace but in the recruitment agencies.

Erik Pearson, UK

Racism is alive and kicking not only in the workplace but in the recruitment agencies. Qualified Black/Asian people are just not put forward for good well paying jobs. Making it in corporate England just does not happen. However with the appointment of Stan O'neal at Merrill Lynch USA and Ken Chenault at American Express it shows that in America at least you get a chance to succeed
Erik Pearson, United Kingdom

Racism is not a problem where I work. I am employed by a Dutch firm, employing several thousand people of many different races worldwide. Racism simply does not exist to us. As for people who claim that racism has cost them a chance of a job, are they SURE that is the reason? Is it not possible that somebody else was picked because of better experience or better qualifications? Racism obviously exists, but I suspect the race card is all too often played without justification to cover up for disappointment or failure for other reasons. In many cases, racism is more imaginary than real.
Graham Rodhouse, The Netherlands

I was very fortunate to have had a wonderful experience of tolerance, understanding and friendship

Sundar Raj, Canada

I have had the pleasure of living in the UK in the sixties - when there was much more talk about the negative aspects of immigration than now. I was very fortunate to have had a wonderful experience of tolerance, understanding and friendship during my stay. My boss and his wife became our best friends and we have maintained and cherished that friendship for more than 30 years. Some in Britain may be racists, but overall the British have a better sense of fair play and justice than most other people I have seen around the world. Canada was not prepared for the impact of non-white immigration . Though it has made a lot of progress in this area, most Canadians lack the open attitude that you find in Britain. So, let us not rush to conclusions about racism in the UK - it is a lot better than most other parts of the world .
Sundar Raj, Canada

Routinely, it has been my experience that white people are promoted in jobs ahead of non-white colleagues of equal or greater ability and performance. The dynamic which underpins this is the assumption that any mistakes made by white employees are seen as mistakes while any mistakes made by non-white colleagues are seen as evidence of incompetence. Consequently, employers are able to discriminate while convincing themselves that they are recognising merit.
William Storey, UK

Forget race, what about age? With the average age of the population growing, I am still amazed at the amount of ageism when it comes to getting a job. Adverts such as, "This is a young company", or the more blatant, "We are looking for someone under 30". The "problem" of ageism is far more entrenched than racism.
Andy W, UK

It doesn't surprise me that racism in the work place is on the rise all thought there are many many laws to protect against it. Many employers give legislation lip service, but do not providing training to line managers and staff about being racially aware.
john, UK

A large company became very one sided as soon as someone said 'racist'.

Richard, Leeds

I work for a company where an equal opportunities policy has been rigorously enforced. Today the workplace is a better place for it and as such the company no longer have to worry about it as an issue since the equality culture is self supporting. However, I myself have been accused of being racist by an underperforming employee. Despite having all the HR tools to prove the reason for targeting the individual was their lack of performance, the company still over-reacted to the accusation. To be on the wrong end of someone misusing the race card leaves a bitter taste in my mouth at how a large company became very one sided as soon as someone said 'racist'. I think we are heading in the right direction and as long as the pressure continues the culture within companies will change. But a balance must be struck between trying too hard too fast and getting the right result.
Richard, Leeds, UK.

I have interviewed many people for jobs and really don't care about their race, creed or religion. The best person for the job and the best person for the team is the one who will be employed. I also do not believe in any discrimination, positive or otherwise. All things are equal at an interview.
Tim Abernethy, England

A year or two ago, a group of us were so fed up with our jobs, we sent our C.V.s to an agency. There were a number of similar jobs vacant at two or three other companies and we were all put forward for them. After we had been interviewed at the first company, all of us were invited for interviews at a second company; all, that is, except for my friend, who was black. Once they knew the colour of her face, she was never invited for further interviews, nor was she put forward for any other job. When I offered to back her up, should she wish to take the matter further, she said there was no point: it was fairly typical and she was used to it now.
Julie, UK

Far from it being a racist culture there is one of curiosity

Bill, Australia

I work in a company that employs many nationalities. Far from it being a racist culture there is one of curiosity - e.g. asking a colleague of Indian extraction about the events in Kashmir to try and understand what is happening. However I have seen one side of racism where clearly the best candidate has not been given the job. Often people fear the decision will be called racist if a minority person didn't get the job. I have never seen a survey that asks a majority group if they think then have been discriminated against on racial grounds. As with all discussions there should be two sides to the story and until both are looked at by both sides then the issue will not go away.
Bill, Australia

I have worked in a wide variety of companies both large and small in London and the South East over the past 15 years. I have worked with all types of ethnic groups and I have seen very little evidence of racism. The main area of concern I have seen is where ethnic minorities with a chip on their shoulders try to play the 'race card' because they are not getting what they want. I am sure that there are genuine cases of discrimination. Those who are seeking to improve relations are misguided and risk doing far more harm than good by alienating moderate people who sick of the whole PC culture.
C. Parker, UK

One has to question the validity of such a survey. The fact is that a victim-culture has become fully entrenched in the UK and it's never been easier to blame professional failure on external factors such as race, gender, sexuality, height, weight etc. The truth is that 99 per cent of employers just want people who are prepared to work and help make the company a profit - the ethnic background of employees means nothing to them.
Alexander Temple-Casthorpe, UK

Having worked in industry all my life I have been 'educated' in one of the hardest work environments in the country - one where no subject or abuse is off limits. The one thing I did learn is that when most people make racist comments, it's not usually for racist reasons. Most of the time they were just picking out the most obvious difference with which they could wind-up the person. Yes, it is offensive put then so is calling someone four eyes or big ears!
Mark, England

Some managers give certain ethnic groups a harder time than others because they think they are lazy.

Ryan, UK

I work on a factory floor with people from all races. I do notice that some managers give certain ethnic groups a harder time than others because they think they are lazy. But they are not lazy - they have only recently arrived in the UK and are not used to the hectic and highly pressured British working environment.
Ryan, UK

Yes, institutional racism is a problem and does exist in the workplace - I have experienced it first hand in my current company (I will be leaving very soon!). Racist comments and jokes are common in the everyday running of the company (from all employees). I am the only non-white employee. This is a small company but it sells its products and services to customers across the world. I was shocked at the level of racism and at the general racist attitudes - even for a person who has had to deal with racism all my life as somebody of Chinese ancestry that was born and bred in northern England.
Jason, UK

I don't know how blatant racism is in British workplaces but whilst working in Asia I and other white workers (some local) were regularly told to hide from view during ministerial visits.
Andrew, British ex-pat

For most of my life I have experienced racism in its many different forms. As I have got older and wiser, it doesn't affect me as much as in my youth. Then, I was always looking for a fight, now I can accept it like an unwanted gift. I was born in England, but see myself as a guest, rather then as an English person.
Ash Patel, UK

I was not educated to be tolerant of others diversity.

RJUP, UK

When I went to school in the sixties and seventies, only English History was taught and the Protestant faith was the basis of the religious education lessons. I did not learn even the history and faiths of the other countries within the United Kingdom, far off places such as Wales and Scotland and Northern Ireland. So it is only natural, or dare I say I was only taught, to see life through limited eyes. I was not educated to be TOLERANT of others diversity.

Society can change though, if we as individuals within it accept that we have a personal responsibility to bring about the change that we wish to see. I have great pride in Britain, because it is a 'can do/will do' country. It has changed over its many thousands of years of existence and I believe will continue to evolve into the most tolerant and diverse of countries in the world. Together we can all put the 'Great' back into Britain.
Lets cherish all our differences, and not assimilate into one 'Homogeneous' and very dull mass.
RJUP, UK

I am a Chinese by origin, but became a UK citizen after living and working in the UK for my entire student and most of my professional life (recently moved to USA due to personal circumstances). In the UK, I never experienced any discrimination in my workplace due to my racial origin. On the contrary, in my career so far I have been very fortunate to receive tremendous help from a large number of my UK friends and colleagues. Of cause I had my share of argument and conflict with my UK colleagues, but these were purely due to disagreement on work issues, rather than anything else. It goes without saying that I had to work hard and earn the respect from my colleagues, but this is to be expected anywhere in your workplace. However, I must point out that I am a university professor and therefore I can only comment on the situation in the academic domain.
Wu, USA

It is hard to break a culture that has been in existence for so long. Let's face it - the white male has just let the white woman into the workplace, let's talk again in 2020!
aa, England