As we are entering the latest stages of the PATHS2INCLUDE project, here is an overview of the key findings related to our research on discrimination in recruitment. This article discusses the main outcomes of this specific strand of the research.
One of the main goals of the PATHS2INCLUDE project was to study the contextual conditions of discrimination by examining which company characteristics make recruiters more or less likely to discriminate based on ethnicity or caregiving responsibilities for young children when hiring.
To study this, we conducted both a harmonized factorial survey experiment (FSE) and qualitative interviews with employers in four different countries, namely Germany, Norway, Poland and Romania. More specifically, for the FSE, we presented a series of hypothetical applicants to more than 2,000 recruiters and asked them to rate how likely it is that the applicants would be employed at the organizations they recruit for. By also asking them a range of questions about their organizations, we were able to identify which organizational features made recruiters more likely to engage in discriminatory behaviour. In addition, for the qualitative study, 15 semi-structured interviews were conducted per country. The complete methodology is explained in this working paper.
Discrimination based on care responsibilities
We found that mothers, particularly single mothers, are significantly disadvantaged in hiring compared to other groups, in all studied countries. Especially mothers applying for high demand “greedy” jobs (requiring overtime, business trips, and availability on a short notice) faced poorer hiring prospects. We also found that care-based discrimination is less likely in organizations that implement flexible working arrangements and/or diversity measures (such as inclusive hiring practices, diversity task forces, or mentoring programs), which has important policy implications. Read more in this working paper.
Discrimination based on ethnicity
In all countries examined, we found that immigrant candidates are less likely to be hired than native candidates. More culturally distant groups (e.g., Syrians in Germany) faced stronger disadvantages than culturally closer groups (e.g., Ukrainians).
Turning to the organisational moderators of discrimination in recruitment, our quantitative results indicate that bigger recruitment panels and professional development policies in the organization are related with less discrimination bias, and so are diversity policy measures at the organizational level (see figure below).
Besides inclusive hiring practices, the availability of mentoring/buddy programs, support systems for immigrant workers, and opportunities for professional development are related with less discrimination bias of recruiters.
Our qualitative study reveals the relevance of proficiency in the local language for applicants in the recruitment, hiring, and onboarding processes. Organizational-level support (e.g., onboarding and orientation phases) to successfully integrate new employees, particularly migrants, is mostly available in larger companies which indicates that government support might be helpful for smaller companies to hire more migrant workers. Our findings also demonstrate that recruiters give great importance to soft skills of candidates in recruitment processes which has implications for unequal opportunities that fall outside the scope of anti-discrimination laws.
In summary, by focusing our research on the role of the organizational context in generating and sustaining inequalities in the labour market, we were able to provide tangible recommendations for interventions to reduce ethnic discrimination in hiring. These are presented in our policy brief on overcoming hiring discrimination.
This work is the result of a collaboration between Leibniz University Hannover, Oslo Metropolitan University, the University of Luxembourg, the Institute for Structural Research Poland and the Research Institute of the University of Bucharest.
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