Jobseekers should not have to drop their regional accent to persuade companies to take them on, according to Employment Minister Esther McVey.
Esther McVey said:
For too long people have had to neutralise or lose their accent out of fear of prejudicial treatment or to fit in. This has then led to a lack of regional accents which has allowed this lazy stereotyping and prejudicial attitudes to prevail
She warns businesses they risk rejecting some very talented people if they fail to look beyond people’s accents.
The Employment Minister added:
People shouldn’t have to lose their accents to get a fair crack at the whip.
The more people don’t lose their accents, the more commonplace it will be to hear accents across a range of careers in, for example, universities, the legal profession or in broadcasting.
Anyone from any walk of life can achieve whatever they want, regardless of what accent they have.
The following video, originally published on Vine, supports the Employment Minister’s message.
Be proud of your accent (http://youtu.be/bl-LaaePMIg)