Using online recruitment can reduce the chances of discrimination, according to an online survey by jobsite Reed.co.uk.

The survey of more than 4,000 jobseekers found that one in five people believed online recruitment lowered the chances of racial discrimination, as opposed to just 6% who felt it was more likely.

Respondents said the internet offered a level playing field in which employers could genuinely be “colourblind” when assessing candidates’ abilities.

But although 68% said they believed workplace racism had decreased in the last 10 years, the survey also suggested that fears of racism were still justified. While only 8% said they had personal experience of discrimination at work, 23% said they or someone they knew were afraid of meeting prejudice in the recruitment process and had changed their behaviour as a result.

But Reed.co.uk director Dan Ferrandino said that, while the fears of prejudice were a concern, the results of the survey were good news for recruiters.

“With online recruitment helping applicants from all ethnic groups to feel more confident, use of the internet as part of best practice recruitment processes can only be accelerated,” he said.