The workplace still grapples with discrimination, and yeah, it’s a tough nut to crack. Studies show that candidates often face biases because of their ethnicity, gender, religion, looks, or how many candles were on their last birthday cake. Let’s dive into the research that’s bringing these issues out of the shadows and into the conversation. It’s time for some real talk about making the job market a fair play zone for everyone. 🌟🔍
🚀 The 70s Breakthrough: Aigner and Cain were the early birds, mapping out how being a certain gender, having a certain skin tone, or just having too many birthdays could tilt the work scales. Talk about a wake-up call!
Swedish Findings: Fast-forward to Carlsson and Rooth, who waved a big red flag on ethnic discrimination in Sweden’s job market. Sadly, this wasn’t old news—ethnicity was (and is) still a job-hunt hurdle.
🏠⚖️ Housing and Hiring Handshake: Then came Ahmed and Hammarstedt, connecting the dots between where you live and where you work. Their findings? A twisted tango where the housing market’s biases boogie down with employment rates, stepping on the toes of the most vulnerable.
🤝 The Informal Recruitment Riddle: Behtoui took a magnifying glass to the nitty-gritty of hiring and found that the word-of-mouth method wasn’t all chit-chat and cheer. Especially for immigrant workers, it could be a game of bias bingo.
🕌 Faith on the Frontline: Di Stasio and team zoomed out for a global snapshot, showing that your faith could fast-track your resume to the rejection pile. Their field experiment was a loud-and-clear signal: religious discrimination is a worldwide workplace woe.
👑 The Beauty Contest of Connections: Busetta, Fiorillo, and Visalli switched the lens to social networks, likening job hunting to strutting on a “who you know” runway. It’s not just what’s on your CV; it’s who’s cheering for you in the audience.
🎂 Aging in the Job Race: Lastly, Ahmed, Andersson, and Hammarstedt tackled ageism, revealing that the candles on your cake (and your gender) could blow out your job chances in Sweden.
So, what’s the takeaway from this deep dive into discrimination? It’s a tough nut, embedded deep in the job market’s roots, cutting across ethnicity, faith, age, and more. And the fix? It’s gonna need some heavy lifting from the powers-that-be to turn the job market into a fair-play festival, where your background is just part of your story, not a roadblock to your success. 🌍✨
Let’s face it: Discrimination in hiring isn’t just a bad look—it’s an old habit we need to kick. The Discrimination Ombudsman’s latest buzz (2023) is clear: ethnicity and religion are still stumbling blocks in recruitment. It’s high time we revamp our hiring mindset, get real about how we pick our future team members, and level up our recruitment game to be truly welcoming.
🔍 Time for a Tune-Up: We’ve got to brave a deep dive into our hiring habits, buff up those processes, and school ourselves on crafting a space where everyone fits in. It’s a critical move on the chessboard for a fairer job market.
✨ Hope’s on the Horizon: Good news, though—there’s a crew of change-makers and organisations out there lighting fires for a better tomorrow. With eyes wide open to the power of inclusion, they’re shaping up a future where bias gets booted out.
🤝 Unity in Action: We’re on the frontline, schooling our clients in ditching the bias baggage during recruitment. It’s all about setting up shop with crystal-clear selection criteria and just assessments.
💼 Diversity’s Dividends: We’re all about that rich mix in the workplace—it’s the secret sauce that makes society zing. By valuing what really matters (hello, skills and potential!) over those outdated demographic details, we’re unlocking a treasure trove of talent.
🌐 A Call to Arms: Together, let’s swap out discrimination for inclusion and lay down the welcome mat for a job market that celebrates every shade and shape of talent, drives inclusion, and sparks a ripple effect of positive vibes.
Curious about how we’re kicking bias to the curb and championing a job market that’s fair play for all? Check out our services, join the revolution, and help us build a workplace that mirrors the world we want. Together, we’re not just changing the game—we’re changing lives.
Agerström, J., & Carlsson, R., & Rooth, D. (2007). Etnicitet och övervikt: implicita arbetsrelaterade fördomar i Sverige. Institutet för arbetsmarknads- och utbildningspolitisk utvärdering (IFAU), 1-23.
Agerström, J., & Rooth, D. O. (2011). The role of automatic obesity stereotypes in real hiring discrimination. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(4), 790-805.
Adolfsson, M., & Cappelen, C. (2018). Does Ethnic Discrimination Affect the Probability of Gaining Employment for Novice Workers? Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment. IFAU Working Paper, 2018:18.
Adsera, A., & Pytlikova, M. (2015). The role of language in shaping international migration. The Economic Journal, 125(586), F49-F81.
Ahmed, A., & Hammarstedt, M. (2018). Discrimination in the housing market and its effect on the employment rate: Evidence from a field experiment. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 44(9), 1407-1428.
Ahmed, A., & Hammarstedt, M. (2018). Ethnic discrimination in the housing market and its effect on the employment rate: Evidence from a field experiment. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 44(9), 1407-1428.
Ahmed, A., Andersson, L., & Hammarstedt, M. (2012). Does age matter for employability? A field experiment on ageism in the Swedish labor market. Applied Economics Letters, 19, 403-406.
Aigner, D. J., & Cain, G. G. (1977). Statistical theories of discrimination in labor markets. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 30, 175-187.
Behtoui, A., Neergaard, A., & Scott, K. (2020). Social Networks and Discrimination in Hiring: A Field Experiment Among Legal Occupations in Sweden. Work, Employment and Society, 34(5), 779-799.
Behtoui, A. (2012). Informal recruitment methods and immigrant employment in Sweden. Nordic Journal of Migration Research, 2(1), 22-32.
Bursell, M., & Johansson, P. (2021). Religious discrimination in the labour market: A field experiment. IFAU Working Paper, 2021:1.
Burn, S. M., & Busso, D. S. (2005). Ambivalent sexism, script-like thinking, and organizational tolerance for sexual harassment. Sex Roles, 52(3-4), 239-251.
Busetta, G., Fiorillo, F., & Visalli, E. (2013). Searching for a job is a beauty contest. Munich Personal RePEc Archive, 1-12.
Carlsson, M., & Eriksson, S. (2017). Påverkar arbetssökandes ålder och kön chansen att få svar på jobbansökan? Institutet för arbetsmarknads- och utbildningspolitisk utvärdering (IFAU), 1-31.
Carlsson, M., & Rooth, D. O. (2007). Evidence of ethnic discrimination in the Swedish labor market using experimental data. Labour Economics, 14, 716-729.
Ceobanu, A. M., & Escandell, X. (2010). Comparative analyses of public attitudes toward immigrants and immigration using multinational survey data: A review of theories and research. Annual Review of Sociology, 36, 309-328.
Dahlberg, M., Edmark, K., & Lundqvist, H. (2012). Ethnic diversity and preferences for redistribution: Reply. Journal of Political Economy, 120(4), 937-945.
Di Stasio, V., Lancee, B., Veit, S., & Yemane, R. (2021). Muslim by default or religious discrimination? Results from a cross-national field experiment on hiring discrimination. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 47(6), 1305-1326.
Edin, P. A., & Åslund, O. (2001). Invandrare på 1990-talet arbetsmarknad, i Bergmark, Å. (red.) Ofärd i välfärden, SOU 2001:54, 101-142.
Edin, P. A., Fredriksson, P., & Åslund, O. (2003). Ethnic Enclaves and the Economic Success of Immigrants—Evidence from a Natural Experiment. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 118(1), 329-357.
Eriksson, S., & Lagerström, J. (2007). Diskriminering i anställningsprocessen: resultat från en Internetbaserad sökkanal. Institutet för arbetsmarknads- och utbildningspolitisk utvärdering, 1-25.
Eriksson, S., Johansson, P., & Langenskiöld, S. (2012). What is the right profile for getting a job? A stated choice experiment of the recruitment process. Working Paper 2012:13, IFAU, Uppsala.
Fasang, A. E., & Helgertz, J. (2019). Descendants of Migrants and Educational Expansion: The Role of Age at Arrival and Ethnic Background. Social Forces, 98(2), 745-771.
Fredriksson, P., Holmlund, H., & Öckert, B. (2016). Was the baby boom a baby bust from an employment perspective? Evidence from family trees. Labour Economics, 42, 1-12.
Green, A., & Kepinska, K. (2012). Polish migration to the UK: Is it the migration of the young and the mobile?. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 38(4), 629-645.
Hammarstedt, M. (2005). Discrimination in the rental housing market: A field experiment on the internet. Journal of Urban Economics, 58(2), 185-201.
Hensvik, L., Nordström Skans, O., & Åström, D. (2019). The causal impact of social Connections on firms’ outcomes. The Review of Economic Studies, 86(2), 656-688.
Holm, A., & Nagy, A. (2017). Employment discrimination against transgender people: the situation in Sweden. International Journal of Manpower, 38(6), 860-876.
Kulin, J., Kessler, S., & Hellgren, J. (2011). Trends and perspectives in immigrant recruitment to Sweden. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 37(10), 1605-1624.
Kjellsson, S., & Hedblom, D. (2013). Ethnic discrimination in everyday work life. European Sociological Review, 29(1), 31-47.
Liebkind, K., Larja, L., & Brylka, A. (2016). Ethnic and Gender Discrimination in Recruitment: Experimental Evidence From Finland. Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 4, 403-426.
Lipset, S. M., & Zetterberg, H. L. (1956). Social mobility in industrial society. American Sociological Review, 21(4), 412-419.
Lundborg, P., Nilsson, A., & Rooth, D. O. (2014). Parental education and offspring outcomes: evidence from the Swedish compulsory schooling reform. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 6(1), 253-278.
Lång, F., Öner, Ö., & Ayhan, Z. (2020). Ethnic Discrimination in High-Stakes Hiring Decisions: A Field Experiment in Sweden. Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy (IFAU).
Mosquera, P. M., Verkuyten, M., & Shah, S. R. (2015). Testing the national multiculturalism, and contact hypotheses on attitudes towards immigrants in the Netherlands. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 21(3), 311-318.
Mergener, A., & Maier, T. (2019). Immigrants’ Chances of Being Hired at Times of Skill Shortages: Results from a Factorial Survey Experiment Among German Employers. International Migration & Integration, 20(1), 155-177.
Nyberg, A., & Öckert, B. (2015). Reducing Discrimination in the Labour Market: The Role of Inspections. The Economic Journal, 125(589), 24-52.
Nekby, L., & Rödin, M. (2009). Acculturation identity and employment among immigrant women. Labour Economics, 16(6), 535-544.
Riach, P. A., & Rich, J. (2006). Field experiments of discrimination in the market place. The Economic Journal, 116(513), F480-F518.
Riach, P. A., & Rich, J. (2002). Field experiments of sex discrimination in the market place. The Economic Journal, 112(483), F480-F518.
Skans, O. N. (2015). Field experiments in labor economics. Labour Economics, 32, 9-19.
Söderberg, A. (2018). Does discrimination drive gender differences in wages? Labour Economics, 54, 83-96.
Tyrowicz, J., S. S. Worswick (2003). Cubicles or system? Heterogeneity in the ethnic earnings gap. Journal of Economic Inequality, 1(2), 117-145.
Van Tubergen, F., & Kalmijn, M. (2005). Destination-language proficiency in cross-national perspective: A study of immigrant groups in nine western countries. American Journal of Sociology, 110(5), 1412-1457.
Valfort, M. (2020). Anti-Muslim discrimination in France: Evidence from a field experiment. World Development, 135, 1-59.
Vernby, K., & Dancygier, R. (2018). Etniska hierarkier och diskriminering på arbetsmarknaden. Institutet för arbetsmarknads- och utbildningspolitisk utvärdering (IFAU), 1-28.
Åslund, O., & Rooth, D. O. (2005). Do when and where matter? Initial labour market conditions and immigrant earnings. Economic Journal, 115(507), 292-303.
