The skill paradox: explaining and reducing employment discrimination against skilled immigrants

Using a social identity theory approach, we theorized that recruiters might be particularly biased against skilled immigrant applicants. We refer to this phenomenon as a skill paradox, according to which immigrants are more likely to be targets of employment discrimination the more skilled they are....

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational journal of human resource management Vol. 26; no. 10; pp. 1318 - 1334
Main Authors Dietz, Joerg, Joshi, Chetan, Esses, Victoria M., Hamilton, Leah K., Gabarrot, Fabrice
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Routledge 31.05.2015
Taylor & Francis LLC
Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
Subjects
Bias
Business administration
diversity
Employment discrimination
Hiring
HRM strategy
Human resource management
Humanities and Social Sciences
Immigrants
inclusion
Management theory
Noncitizens
person-organization fit
Personnel management
Psychology
Recruitment
Skilled workers
Social identity
social identity theory
Studies
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Summary:Using a social identity theory approach, we theorized that recruiters might be particularly biased against skilled immigrant applicants. We refer to this phenomenon as a skill paradox, according to which immigrants are more likely to be targets of employment discrimination the more skilled they are. Furthermore, building on the common ingroup identity model, we proposed that this paradox can be resolved through human resource management strategies that promote inclusive hiring practices (e.g. by emphasizing fit with a diverse clientele). The results from a laboratory experiment were consistent with our predictions: local recruiters preferred skilled local applicants over skilled immigrant applicants, but only when these applicants were qualified for a specific job. This bias against qualified and skilled immigrant applicants was attenuated when fit with a diverse clientele was emphasized, but not when fit with a homogeneous clientele was emphasized or when the hiring strategy was not explained. We discuss the implications of our findings for research on employment discrimination against skilled immigrants, including the role of inclusiveness for reducing discriminatory biases.
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ISSN:0958-5192
1466-4399
DOI:10.1080/09585192.2014.990398