Implicit Discrimination Against Chinese Hepatitis B Carriers Rising in Multinationals -- Survey

A telephone survey of 92 multinational firms in 20 major cities in China found at least 84 percent require prospective employees to be screened for hepatitis B. Around 44 percent of these firms said they reject applicants who test positive for the virus, while just 5 percent said they do not require job candidates to get tested, according to the Beijing Yirenping Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to social justice.

The center conducted the survey among firms in the Beijing-Tianjin area, Pearl River delta in southern China, and Yangtze River delta in the eastern part of the country. Multinational companies that mandated hepatitis B testing and denied applicants due to their positive status include Bosch, Citic Pacific, Nestle, Sanyo, Siemens, Sony, and Toyota. The five companies that do not test applicants are IBM, 3M, Gold Circuit Electronics, Santak Electronics and Carrefour.

Yirenping conducted a similar survey in 2006, which found 77 percent of multinational firms refused to hire hepatitis B-positive candidates.

In 2007, China passed the Employment Promotion Law, which specifically prohibits employers from refusing an applicant on the basis that he or she carries an infectious disease. "It is very depressing to find overt and implicit discrimination after the employment law has been in effect for one year," said Chen Jun, the center's chief coordinator.

The survey targeted multinational companies because they seldom require applicants to undergo hepatitis B screening in their home countries or in other countries or regions, said Chen.

According to China's Ministry of Health, roughly 93 million Chinese, or 7.18 percent of the population, are infected with hepatitis B. However, many medical experts believe a more accurate figure is more than 100 million.

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