Research Fellow in Political & Social Sciences: Ethnic Discrimination in the Job Search Process, European University Institute, Florence, Italy. Deadline: 26 June 2024.
For an ERC-funded project (‘TARGETS’), EUI conducts longitudinal research on the impact of ethnic discrimination on the job search process. Ethnic discrimination in the labour market is persistent and pervasive. The job search experiences of ethnic minorities, in particular, are rife with rejections and second tries. On average, they have to apply more often as the majority group to receive an equal number of positive callbacks and face substantial discrimination at the interview and job offer stages. Previous research, however, has paid little attention to the job search behaviour of members of vulnerable groups, and the strategies they may adopt to avoid discriminatory employers. For example, job seekers may conceal ethnic cues in their resumes or target organizations that signal a commitment to diversity in their recruitment material. In this project, researchers rely on experience sampling methods (digital daily diaries) to analyze job search behaviour as it unfolds over time. They will track the type of organizations that job seekers apply to, how they react to the information reported in the vacancies and the feedback received from employers and whether they adapt their job search strategies in response to perceived discrimination or expectations of success and failure. Drawing on sociological and socio-psychological research on stigmatization, social identity and discrimination, they will examine the coping strategies of vulnerable groups as they try to find employment (preferably, the
research will focus on the Dutch context).
Center for Intercultural Dialogue 