Ethnic Discrimination in the Dutch Labor Market: Differences Between Ethnic Minority Groups and the Role of Personal Information About Job Applicants\u2014Evidence from a Field Experiment

Lex Thijssen,Marcel Coenders,Bram Lancee

doi:10.1007/s12134-020-00795-w

Abstract

In this study, we present the results of a large-scale field experiment on ethnic discrimination in the Dutch labor market. We sent fictitious job applications (N = 4211) to vacancies for jobs in ten different occupations in the Netherlands. By examining 35 different ethnic minority groups, we detect considerable differences in discrimination rates, predominantly between Western and non-Western minorities. Furthermore, we find little systematic variation in discrimination patterns with regard to gender, regions, and occupations, pointing to the existence of an ethnic hierarchy that is widely shared among employers. Finally, we do not find empirical support for the hypothesis that adding personal information in job applications reduces discrimination.

Highlights

Like in many Western European countries, the Dutch labor market is characterized by persistent inequalities between ethnic groups
Does Ethnic Discrimination Vary Between Ethnic Minority Groups?
More than forty years after Bovenkerk’s pioneering work, we present the results of the largest field experiment that has so far been conducted in the Dutch labor market

Summary

Introduction

Like in many Western European countries, the Dutch labor market is characterized by persistent inequalities between ethnic groups. Compared to people with a nativemajority background, people with a migrant background are more often unemployed, work more often in the lower segments of the labor market, and have a lower income (Huijnk and Andriessen 2016). Ethnic discrimination occurs when people with a migrant background are systematically less likely to find a job than people with a native-majority background, despite being qualified and in comparable circumstances (cf Bertrand and Duflo 2017). Experimental research designs make it possible to compare the employability of qualified applicants (e.g., with equal language skills and/or educational credentials) who differ only with regard to their ethnic background. The difference in callback rates between ethnic groups gives a clear indication of the extent to which ethnic minorities are discriminated against

Objectives

Results

Conclusion