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Hiring Discrimination against Pro-Union Applicants: The Role of Union Density and Firm Size

Author

Listed:
  • Baert, Stijn

    (Ghent University)

  • Omey, Eddy

    (Ghent University)

Abstract

We study the causal impact of revealing pro-unionism during the recruitment stage on hiring chances. To this end, we conduct a randomised field experiment in the Belgian labour market. When matched with employer and sector data, the experimentally gathered data enable us to test the heterogeneity of discrimination against pro-union applicants by the union density in the sector and the size of the firm. We find that disclosure of pro-unionism affects hiring chances in a negative way and that – in line with our expectations based on the literature – this negative impact is stronger in highly unionised sectors.

Suggested Citation

  • Baert, Stijn & Omey, Eddy, 2014. "Hiring Discrimination against Pro-Union Applicants: The Role of Union Density and Firm Size," IZA Discussion Papers 8516, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp8516
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    9. Dr Alex Bryson & John Forth, 2009. "Unions and Workplace Performance in Britain and France," National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) Discussion Papers 327, National Institute of Economic and Social Research.
    10. Drydakis, Nick, 2009. "Sexual orientation discrimination in the labour market," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 16(4), pages 364-372, August.
    11. Stijn Baert, 2014. "Career lesbians. Getting hired for not having kids?," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(6), pages 543-561, November.
    12. Barry T. Hirsch, 2004. "What Do Unions Do for Economic Performance?," Journal of Labor Research, Transaction Publishers, vol. 25(3), pages 415-456, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Uwe Jirjahn & Jens Mohrenweiser, 2016. "Owner-Managers and the Failure of Newly Adopted Works Councils," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 54(4), pages 815-845, December.
    2. Gaddis, S. Michael, 2018. "An Introduction to Audit Studies in the Social Sciences," SocArXiv e5hfc, Center for Open Science.
    3. Stijn Baert & Dieter Verhaest, 2019. "Unemployment or Overeducation: Which is a Worse Signal to Employers?," De Economist, Springer, vol. 167(1), pages 1-21, March.
    4. Katarzyna Piwowar-Sulej & Sakshi Malik & Olatunji A. Shobande & Sanjeet Singh & Vishal Dagar, 2024. "A Contribution to Sustainable Human Resource Development in the Era of the COVID-19 Pandemic," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 191(2), pages 337-355, May.
    5. Ali M. Ahmed & Elisabeth Lång, 2017. "The employability of ex-offenders: a field experiment in the Swedish labor market," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 6(1), pages 1-23, December.
    6. Baert, Stijn, 2017. "Hiring Discrimination: An Overview of (Almost) All Correspondence Experiments Since 2005," IZA Discussion Papers 10738, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    randomised field experiments; trade unions; union density; hiring discrimination;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J53 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Labor-Management Relations; Industrial Jurisprudence
    • J71 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - Hiring and Firing
    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments

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