Experimental Evidence of Discrimination in the Hiring of First- and Second-generation Immigrants

Previous field experiments that study ethnic discrimination in the labour market are extended in this paper, which outlines a study comparing discrimination of first- and second-generation immigrants. Qualitatively identical resumes, belonging to first- and second-generation immigrants from the Middle East, were sent to employers in Sweden that had advertised for labour. The findings suggest, somewhat unexpectedly, that first- and second-generation immigrants have essentially the same probability of being invited to a job interview, which in turn is significantly lower than the probability of invitation to interview for natives. Copyright 2010 CEIS, Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.