Ethnic discrimination in hiring decisions: a meta-analysis of correspondence tests 1990–2015

Eva Zschirnt,Didier Ruedin

doi:10.1080/1369183x.2015.1133279

Abstract

ABSTRACTFor almost 50 years field experiments have been used to study ethnic and racial discrimination in hiring decisions, consistently reporting high rates of discrimination against minority applicants – including immigrants – irrespective of time, location, or minority groups tested. While Peter A. Riach and Judith Rich [2002. “Field Experiments of Discrimination in the Market Place.” The Economic Journal 112 (483): F480–F518] and Judith Rich [2014. “What Do Field Experiments of Discrimination in Markets Tell Us? A Meta Analysis of Studies Conducted since 2000.” In Discussion Paper Series. Bonn: IZA] provide systematic reviews of existing field experiments, no study has undertaken a meta-analysis to examine the findings in the studies reported. In this article, we present a meta-analysis of 738 correspondence tests in 43 separate studies conducted in OECD countries between 1990 and 2015. In addition to summarising research findings, we focus on groups of specific tests to ascertain the robustness of findings, emphasising differences across countries, gender, and economic contexts. Moreover we examine patterns of discrimination, by drawing on the fact that the groups considered in correspondence tests and the contexts of testing vary to some extent. We focus on first- and second-generation immigrants, differences between specific minority groups, the implementation of EU directives, and the length of job application packs.

Highlights

Whenever members of one minority group are less likely to obtain paid work, or do so under unfavourable conditions, some people are quick to shout ‘discrimination’
Focusing on GDP growth and unemployment rates we find no systematic association between the economic situation and ethnic discrimination in hiring
This article provided a meta-analysis of ethnic discrimination in hiring decisions, showing that such discrimination has remained widespread across OECD countries in the last 25 years

Summary

Introduction

Whenever members of one minority group are less likely to obtain paid work, or do so under unfavourable conditions, some people are quick to shout ‘discrimination’. Social scientists tend to be more cautious and highlight that there are many reasons why one group is more likely to obtain paid work than others apart from discrimination (Pager 2007). To rule out these alternative explanations, field experiments have been devised in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, allowing researchers to draw inferences about racial discrimination in hiring decisions (Daniel 1968, Jowell and Prescott-Clarke 1970). Scholars in fields like economics, sociology, or social psychology have addressed ethnic and racial discrimination by analysing differences in labour market outcomes, such as wages or unemployment rates, court proceedings, complaints lodged about discriminatory treatment, or interviews and surveys with victims of discrimination (e.g.Bovenkerk 1992)

Methods

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion