School leavers with vocational qualifications are continuing to experience discrimination when they look for work, according to new research.

SEO Economisch Onderzoek found that students with an MBO diploma were around 20% less likely to have found a job within a year of graduation. The organisation said that discrimination by employers was likely to be a factor, along with family circumstances and students’ choice of course.

Girls with Antillean or Aruban origins experienced the biggest discrepancy, with just 57.7% finding a job within 12 months compared to 85% of non-minority candidates. Opportunities were also sparse for Moroccan Dutch boys, 63% of whom were employed within a year compared to 87.5% of their peers.

After 10 years the gaps had closed but the deficit was still considerable: 69.7% of Caribbean women were in work against 86.5% of contemporaries, while 70.6% of Moroccan-Dutch men had found jobs compared to 93.6% of non-minority males.

The MBO Council said more efforts needed to be made to tackle the problem. ‘That’s why we are working with business, ministries and student unions on a campaign to change the image that some employers have. All MBO’ers deserve the same opportunities, regardless of their background,’ acting chairman Frank van Hout told the FD.