A recent experimental study shows that Swiss citizens of immigrant descent must send about 30% more applications than candidates of Swiss origin to receive a call-back for an interview. This gap shows that Swiss citizens of immigrant origin, educated in the country and holding Swiss qualifications, face unequal treatment when entering the labor market. These differences are directly attributable to their parents’ foreign origin.

The risk of facing discrimination varies among the four origin groups tested in the study, yielding a form of ethnic hierarchy. The Swiss of Kosovar origin are the most frequently exposed to discrimination (they have to submit around 40% more applications than candidates of Swiss origin to be invited to a job interview). Next, come the children of Cameroonian immigrants (30% more applications) followed by Swiss citizens from the two neighboring countries (young people of French origin in French-speaking Switzerland and of German origin in German-speaking Switzerland must send about 20% more applications than Swiss candidates). Finally, Swiss citizens of Turkish origin also are less likely to be invited to an interview than candidates of Swiss-origin (15% more applications), but the difference between the two is not statistically significant.

Discrimination in hiring varies from one profession to another. It is particularly strong in the sales sector.

Discrimination in hiring is a reality in both language regions, where there is a similar ethnic hierarchy.

Do migrants experience discrimination?

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Definition:

Discrimination: Discrimination is the unequal treatment of similar individuals based on race, ethnicity, gender, or other categorical statuses.

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Sources:

Zschirnt, Eva and Rosita Fibbi (2019). “Do Swiss Citizens of Immigrant Origin Face Hiring Discrimination in the Labour Market?” nccr – on the move, Working Paper # 20. Neuchâtel: nccr – on the move, February 2019.

Fibbi, Rosita, Didier Ruedin, Robin Stünzi, and Eva Zschirnt (2022). “Hiring Discrimination on the Basis of Skin Colour? A Correspondence Test in Switzerland.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 48, no. 7: 1515–35. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2021.1999795.

Note on methodology: This indicator is based on the results of a new study conducted in 2017 and 2018 in Switzerland. It covers four groups (Swiss dual citizens with German/French, Cameroonian, Kosovar or Turkish names), two regions (German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland) and two professions (sales representatives and electricians).

The extent of discrimination in hiring is measured by an experimental method: researchers submit fictitious written applications to public job offers. Candidates have the same qualifications but differ in terms of the impact of the variable we want to examine – in our study, their origin. The candidates of immigrant origin are dual citizens (Switzerland + parents’ country of origin), they have been educated in Switzerland and hold Swiss diplomas. Their ethnic origin is signaled by their name, the citizenship of their parents’ country of origin and their command of the two main languages (the local language and the language of their parents). The analysis focuses on the first decisive stage at which the employers decide on whom to invite for a job interview. The measure of discrimination or the relative call-back rate compares how often a majority applicant (non-immigrant background) is called for an interview to how often a minority (immigrant origin) applicant is invited for an interview. It thus expresses the ratio between the number of applications required by a person of immigrant origin to obtain an invitation to a job interview and the number of applications required by a person of Swiss origin to achieve the same result. For example, while the candidate of Swiss origin must submit 100 applications, the candidate of Kosovar origin must submit 144 applications.

This method, known as correspondence testing, was developed by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to measure inequality in access to the labor market and is now an international standard. This method uses an experimental design to provide clear and convincing evidence of discrimination in the hiring process.

Terms of use: The Migration-Mobility Indicators are made available free of charge for non-commercial use. We ask the users to acknowledge the source.

Suggested citation: nccr – on the move, Migration-Mobility Indicators. Neuchâtel: nccr – on the move, 2019.

For more information about the data sets used, please click here.

Last update: 10 October 2019