Sociologists' Warning: Arabic Names Make It Harder to Get a Job

An Arabic-sounding name can reduce the chances of being considered by Swedish employers. This is shown in a study from Stockholm University, where two sociologists sent out thousands of fictitious job applications and compared the response to Swedish names and, among others, Arabic names from the Middle East.

The difference is particularly clear among men and, according to the researchers, may be part of the explanation for the segregation that exists in the Swedish labor market.

The study was conducted by sociologists Magnus Bygren and Moa Bursell. Between 2013 and 2018, they sent out more than 7,000 fictitious job applications to 15 different types of positions advertised on the Swedish Public Employment Service’s job portal.

The fictitious candidates had equivalent qualifications but were given different names. Some received typically Swedish names, while others were given names linked to the former Yugoslavia or Arabic names from the Middle East.

The result showed that the name could make a difference even before an employer met the job seeker. For certain jobs, the likelihood was lower that people with foreign-sounding names would receive a response, even though their qualifications matched those of applicants with Swedish names.

“Ethnic Stereotypes”

The researchers also see a clear gender difference. The discrimination linked to names is stronger against men than against women, something sociologist Magnus Bygren believes may be related to how ethnic stereotypes function.

– This probably has to do with the fact that ethnic stereotypes are generally stronger for men than for women, says Magnus Bygren to the TT news agency.

The effect is also far from equally large across the entire labor market. In sectors where many foreign-born already work, employers’ responses appear to be much less affected by the name on the application.

Cleaning and driver jobs, for example, stand out because the researchers did not see any difference between the applications there.

For other professions, however, the situation is different. In teaching, preschool, and IT roles, for example, a foreign-sounding surname seems to affect the likelihood of getting a response from the employer, such as a request for more information or an invitation to an interview.

Photo: Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0

Discrimination Occurs Early

According to the researchers, it is mainly in the first stage of recruitment that these differences arise. That is, before the applicant has even had the chance to meet the employer or show who they are. Once the first contact has been made, discrimination decreases.

Bygren believes it is not always a matter of an employer consciously rejecting people with certain names; it may also be about more automatic reactions and a tendency to choose what is perceived as familiar.

– Discrimination is often a very automatic reaction, he told TT.

The researchers also see a connection between discrimination and the number of foreign-born who already work in a certain sector. The greater the proportion of foreign-born, the less the name seems to affect employers’ responses.

According to the researchers, this pattern may contribute to reinforcing labor market segregation, since people with foreign backgrounds risk having a harder time gaining entry to certain professions right at the first selection stage.

“There Is a Lower Probability”

The study is based on data collected between 2013 and 2018. Although the survey was thus carried out several years ago, Bygren believes the results still say something about how the labor market works.

At the same time, the conclusion is not that it is pointless for people with names that are not typically Swedish to apply for jobs. It is still possible to get a response, even though the probability, according to the researcher, is lower.

The sociologist Magnus Bygren emphasizes that applicants should remember “that even if you, so to speak, have the ‘wrong’ name, you can still get a positive response if you just keep applying.”

– It is not impossible. There is a lower probability, but it is not zero, he says.

The researchers therefore think it is important that both employers and jobseekers are aware that such patterns exist. With greater awareness, employers can also more easily avoid letting automatic assumptions about names and ethnicity affect who gets a chance to move forward in a recruitment process.