Skip to main content
Log in

Detecting discrimination in the hiring process: evidence from an Internet-based search channel

  • Published:
Empirical Economics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This article uses data from an Internet-based CV database to study how job searchers’ ethnicity, employment status, age, and gender affect how often they are contacted by firms. Since we know which types of information that are available to the recruiting firms, we can handle some of the problems with unobserved heterogeneity better than many existing discrimination studies. We find that searchers who have non-Nordic names, are unemployed or old get significantly fewer firm contacts. Moreover, this matters for the hiring outcome: searchers who get more contacts have a higher probability of getting hired.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Åslund O, Nordström Skans O (2011) Do anonymous job application procedures level the playing field? Ind Lab Rel Rev (forthcoming)

  • Belzil C (1996) Relative efficiencies and comparative advantages in job search. J Lab Econ 14: 154–173

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bertrand M, Mullainathan S (2004) Are Emily and Greg more employable than Lakisha and Jamal? A field experiment on labor market discrimination. Am Econ Rev 94: 991–1013

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blau DM, Robins PK (1990) Job search outcomes for the employed and unemployed. J Polit Econ 98: 637–655

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carlsson M (2011) Does hiring discrimination cause gender segregation in the swedish labor market. Fem Econ 17(3): 71–102

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carlsson M, Rooth DO (2007) An experimental study of sex segregation in the Swedish labor market – Is discrimination the explanation. Labour Econ 14: 716–729

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Edin PA, Lagerström J (2006) Blind dates: quasi-experimental evidence on discrimination. Working paper 2006:4. IFAU, Uppsala

  • Eriksson S, Lagerström J (2006) Competition between employed and unemployed job applicants: Swedish evidence. Scand J Econ 108: 373–396

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goldin C, Rouse C (2000) Orchestrating impartiality: the impact of “blind” auditions on female musicians. Am Econ Rev 90: 715–741

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heckman J (1998) Detecting discrimination. J Econ Perspect 12: 101–116

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lahey JN (2008) Age, women, and hiring—an experimental study. J Hum Resour 43: 30–56

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lahey JN, Beasley RA (2009) Computerizing audit studies. J Econ Behav Organ 70: 508–514

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neumark D with the assistance of Bank RJ, van Nort KD (1996) Sex discrimination in restaurant hiring: an audit study. Q J Econ 111:915–941

  • Oreopoulos P (2009) Why do skilled immigrants struggle in the labor market? A field experiment with six thousand résumés. University of British Columbia, Vancouver

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Riach PA, Rich J (1997) Testing for sexual discrimination in the labor market. Aust Econ Pap 26: 165–178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riach PA, Rich J (2002) Field experiments of discrimination in the market place. Econ J 112: F480–F518

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weichselbaumer D (2004) Is it sex or personality? The impact of sex-stereotypes on discrimination in applicant selection. East Econ J 30: 159–186

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stefan Eriksson.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Eriksson, S., Lagerström, J. Detecting discrimination in the hiring process: evidence from an Internet-based search channel. Empir Econ 43, 537–563 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00181-011-0496-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00181-011-0496-6

Keywords

JEL Classification

Navigation