Brummies are less employable than silent people

If you’re a Brummie looking for a grad job, you’re better off keeping quiet.

New research has revealed that regional accents carry strong negative stereotypes, with the Birmingham accent being worst of all.

In an experiment at the University of South Wales, people were asked to rate how attractive people were when speaking with different accents.

Researchers were left stunned when results revealed silence ranked higher than the Brummie accent.

If you’re a local, you might be most concerned about how this will affect your chance of pulling next Friday – but unfortunately there are more serious connotations.

The research found that stereotypes attached to the Birmingham accent could also hold Brummies back from better jobs, whilst Received Pronunciation could be more useful than superior qualifications when applying for a new position.

Unsurprisingly, researchers noted the top jobs in the country are dominated by people from more privileged backgrounds without regional accents.

Professor Lance Workman, who carried out the research, believes it is the tone of the Brummie accent that puts people off.

He said: “Flattening of the vowels seems to be an indication of low intelligence, despite not being supported by any empirical evidence.”

“Despite changes in attitudes of the general populace to RP, when it comes to recruitment to the elite professions it is clear that many of those with regional accents are still hitting a class ceiling.”