‘Mandarin Required’ Job Ads Exposed: Study Says It’s Really Code For ‘Chinese Only’

All seven candidates — including Thivakar and Nur Sakinah — ticked the “intermediate Mandarin” box. The report’s own conclusion, no sugarcoating: the Mandarin requirement, “for the most part,” is a filter to hire Chinese candidates — not a genuine language need. Candidate Race/Gender Callback Rate Nicola Chinese F 43.88% Gabriel Chinese M 32.72% Zulaikha Malay F, no hijab 12.80% Nur Sakinah Malay F, hijab 9.14% Kavita Indian F 8.96% Saddiq Malay M 7.86% Thivakar Indian M 3.66%Same Woman, Same Everything — Minus The HijabSame model, same everything. Zulaikha (no hijab): 70 calls, 12.80%Nur Sakinah (hijab): 50 calls, 9.14%Taking the hijab off in the photo was worth a 40% jump in interview calls. The study went in expecting Malay candidates to suffer the most — echoing a 2016 study on the same topic.