Muslims experience the worst discrimination of any other minority group in the UK when it comes to job prospects, new research has found.
The research, revealed by The Independent, found that Muslims are seen by employers as "disloyal and threatening" which results in followers of Islam being far less likely to be employed than Christians.
Muslim men are up to 76% less likely to have a job than white British Christian men of the same age, with the same qualifications.
Muslims are missing out on work because of prejudice, says the report
Muslim women were also up to 65 per cent less likely to be employed than their white Christian counterparts, according to the report from Dr Nabil Khattab and Professor Ron Johnston from the University of Bristol.
Muslim men and women were also less likely to have a role at managerial level.
The research drew on data from the Office for National Statistics' Labour Force Survey, which covered more than half a million people. Studying 14 ethnic and religious groups, it concluded that while skin colour made little difference to whether people were hired or not, Muslims were the most disadvantaged group.
Dr Nabil Khattab said this was likely to be because of "growing Islamophobia and hostility" towards Muslims, meaning employers are discouraged to hire them.
Khattab told The Independent: "[Muslims] are perceived as disloyal and as a threat rather than just as a disadvantaged minority. Within this climate, many employers will be discouraged from employing qualified Muslims, especially if there are others from their own groups or others from less threatening groups who can fill these jobs."
The findings suggested Muslims were "[placed] collectively at the lowest stratum within the country's racial or ethno-cultural system", he added.
Muslims suffer the most while skin colour makes little difference, the study found
White British Christians suffered the least employment discrimination, according to the report, except for British Jews, who appeared to fare best in the job market. Jewish women were 29% more likely to be in work than their British while Christian peers, and men 15% more likely than white Christian counterparts.
White atheists British men and women were 20 and 25 per cent less likely respectively to have a job than Christians.