Ethnic Discrimination in the Swiss Labour Market

Discrimination of ethnic minorities in hiring decisions in the labour market has become a common phenomenon. Across OECD countries ethnic minority applicants have to write approximately 50% more applications to be invited for a job interview compared to an equally qualified majority applicant. Little is known about the extent of discrimination in the Swiss Labour Market, since the last correspondence test conducted in Switzerland is more than 15 years old and targets only a very specific sector of the labour market - the transition from school to apprenticeships.
To fill this gap in knowledge on discrimination in the Swiss labour market, a new correspondence test was conducted. It measures discrimination in various occupations, against different ethnic minority groups, including candidates with German or French backgrounds, and looks at the differences and similarities between the German and French speaking regions in Switzerland.