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Ethnic names' struggle in job search
Or Yes, we are Racist, now bugger off Sol
New research by the Australian National University shows job applicants with 'ethnic' names find it tougher to get an interview than those with Anglo-Saxon names.
Economists at the university, Professors Alison Booth and Andrew Leigh, disseminated 4000 fake CVs to job advertisers in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney to test the level of discrimination.
Researchers found that applicants with Chinese names were more likely to be knocked back than applicants with Anglo-Saxon names.
Job seekers with Italian, Middle Eastern and Indigenous names also had a lower chance of being called in for an interview.
All the fake CVs, regardless of the ethnicity of the names, stated the applicant had studied in Australia.
"By varying the names on the CVs, we were able to estimate precisely the extent of hiring discrimination," Professor Booth says.
"Because all other characteristics are held constant, we can be sure that we are actually measuring discrimination."
Professor Leigh says minorities would fare better in the labour market if they Anglicised their names.
"It certainly suggests Anglicising your name increases the chance of getting a job interview," Prof Leigh told reporters in Canberra.
Or Yes, we are Racist, now bugger off Sol
New research by the Australian National University shows job applicants with 'ethnic' names find it tougher to get an interview than those with Anglo-Saxon names.
Economists at the university, Professors Alison Booth and Andrew Leigh, disseminated 4000 fake CVs to job advertisers in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney to test the level of discrimination.
Researchers found that applicants with Chinese names were more likely to be knocked back than applicants with Anglo-Saxon names.
Job seekers with Italian, Middle Eastern and Indigenous names also had a lower chance of being called in for an interview.
All the fake CVs, regardless of the ethnicity of the names, stated the applicant had studied in Australia.
"By varying the names on the CVs, we were able to estimate precisely the extent of hiring discrimination," Professor Booth says.
"Because all other characteristics are held constant, we can be sure that we are actually measuring discrimination."
Professor Leigh says minorities would fare better in the labour market if they Anglicised their names.
"It certainly suggests Anglicising your name increases the chance of getting a job interview," Prof Leigh told reporters in Canberra.