Discrimination Against Migrant Job Applicants in Austria: An Experimental Study

Abstract

This paper presents the results of an experimental study that examined the employment opportunities of Austrians with and without a migration background when applying for job openings. Previous experiments used applicants' names as indicators for different ethnicities, but this signal may not always be perceived as intended by the experimenters. In this study, a novel approach was applied that signals ethnic background using carefully matched photos as distinct visual cues. While the results document employment discrimination against all groups with a migration background, it is most pronounced for applicants with African heritage. To determine why and when discrimination occurs, an array of firm-and job-specific characteristics were examined. However, they offer little help in explaining the level of employment discrimination in Austria.JEL classification: C93, J15, J71.

Ethnic Discrimination in Hiring Decisions: A Meta-Analysis of Correspondence Tests 1990-2015

“…If statistical discrimination prevails, it can be expected that discrimination is lower in countries where more details are the norm in job applications, like photos, diplomas, or transcripts. In these contexts employers have less need to resort to mechanisms that can result in statistical discrimination (Weichselbaumer 2015). It can therefore be expected that discrimination rates are lower in German-speaking countries than in other European countries.…”

“…Rather than looking at the EU directives, the level of discrimination in German-speaking countries is of particular interests because it allows direct inferences about statistical discrimination. German-speaking countries are known for their extensive application packs, requiring detailed documentation about job candidates (Kaas and Manger 2012, Schneider, Yemane, and Weinmann 2014, Weichselbaumer 2015. This provides employers with more information than in other contexts, and is thus likely to reduce statistical discrimination.…”

Measuring Hiring Discrimination A History of Field Experiments in Discrimination Research

“…Exceptions are the studies conducted in Austria by Weichselbaumer (2015), Germany by Kaas and Manger (2012) and Schneider et al (2014), the Netherlands by Andriessen et al (2012) or Sweden by Agerström et al (2012). Still, despite their national focus, these studies are often heavily weighted towards certain regions.…”

“…Furthermore, most studies conducted include a detailed methodology section (e.g. , Weichselbaumer, 2015.…”

“…Furthermore, Norwegian researchers also started to propose research projects, having previously assumed that their research would not be approved either (Midtbøen, 2013, p.52). Next to Sweden and Norway, studies were, amongst others, also conducted in the UK , France (Duguet et al, 2010), Greece (Drydakis & Vlassis, 2010), Ireland (McGinnity & Lunn, 2011, Germany (Kaas & Manger, 2012), the Netherlands (Andriessen et al, 2012) or Austria (Weichselbaumer, 2015). Some of these studies will now be discussed in detail specifically due to their enhanced survey design, as they introduced additional variables to their surveys and thus added aspects beyond the sole measurement of discrimination.…”