Outsourcing Recruitment as a Solution to Prevent Discrimination: A Correspondence Study

Clémence Berson, Morgane Laouenan and Emmanuel Valat

No 12132, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: Many studies have proven the existence of discriminatory behavior from employers according to the origin of applicants. However, little is known about how these behaviors can be prevented. In this work, we assess how organization of recruitment in large companies affects ethnic discrimination. We consider large multi-establishment companies and distinguish two types of recruitment organization: hiring made through a human resources (HR) service at a centralized level of the company and hiring made at only the level of the establishment concerned by the position, generally by managers in charge of recruitment. To conduct our research, we rely on data from a correspondence study conducted in 2016 by the Dares (French Ministry of Labor) in large companies, which shows the existence of ethnic discrimination in hiring. This experimentation allows us to gather precise and original information on the level at which applications were selected for each of the 1,500 tests carried out. Because access to a centralized HR service is potentially endogenous, we use an instrument to assess the causal effect: whether (or not) the establishment with the job offer belongs to a company that has developed a franchise network. Our results indicate that access to a centralized HR service in the selection of applications has an important effect on the level of discrimination: This type of recruitment organization results in a 0.29-point decrease in the probability that the applicant of presumed "French" origin is selected alone.

Keywords: hiring discrimination; large firms; North African origin; organization of human resources (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 C93 J21 J71 J78 O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 54 pages
Date: 2019-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-lma
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Published - published in: Labour Economics, 2020, 64, 101838

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Related works:
Journal Article: Outsourcing recruitment as a solution to prevent discrimination: A correspondence study (2020)
Working Paper: Outsourcing recruitment as a solution to prevent discrimination: A correspondence study * (2020)
Working Paper: Outsourcing recruitment as a solution to prevent discrimination: A correspondence study * (2020)
Working Paper: Outsourcing recruitment as a solution to prevent discrimination: A correspondence study * (2020)
Working Paper: Outsourcing recruitment as a solution to prevent discrimination: A correspondence study (2020)
Working Paper: Outsourcing recruitment as a solution to prevent discrimination: A correspondence study (2020)
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