Signaling Similarity in the Icelandic Labour Market: How Can Immigrants Reduce Statistical Discrimination?

Kari Kristinsson and Margret Sigrun Sigurdardottir
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Kari Kristinsson: School of Business, University of Iceland, Iceland
Margret Sigrun Sigurdardottir: School of Business, University of Iceland, Iceland

Migration Letters, 2020, vol. 17, issue 2, 8

Abstract: Research on immigration has emphasized the role that statistical discrimination plays in hiring decisions. A better understanding of how immigrants overcome this type of discrimination might lead to better interventions to improve their labour market participation. In this article, we use qualitative interviews to examine how immigrants can reduce statistical discrimination by signalling their similarity to employers in their job applications. Specifically, we findthat immigrants who demonstrate signal similarity to employers in the type of education, job experience and religion tend to reduce their statistical discrimination by employers. We suggest how further research can build on these results to provide possible tools for immigrant integration.

Keywords: Immigrants; hiring process; prejudice; statistical discrimination; human resource managers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:mig:journl:v:17:y:2020:i:2:p:349-356

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DOI: 10.33182/ml.v17i2.761

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