A majority of some 90 foreign firms in the country that took part in a three-month long survey were found to be practicing "some form of discrimination" against job candidates with hepatitis B, according to the result of poll released yesterday.

Between October and December, Beijing Yirenping Center, a non-profit group advocating social justice, telephoned 96 foreign firms across the country and found that "80 of them, or 84 percent, required job applicants to be tested for hepatitis B".

The survey found that 44 percent of companies polled would reject hepatitis B carriers.