Physical Disability and Labor Market Discrimination: Evidence from a Video Résumé Field Experiment
American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
vol. 15,
no. 4, October 2023
(pp. 452-76)
Abstract
We sent fictitious applications to firms advertising job openings. We find that revealing a disability decreases callback rates by 25 percentage points. This result is not explained by accessibility constraints or lower productivity due to disability. We find that including a video résumé of a well-spoken applicant significantly increases callbacks by 10 percentage points for persons with and without disabilities, suggesting that discrimination is unaffected by quality signals in our context. Analysis of viewing activity suggests that employers seek less information when the applicant is disabled. Disclosing the disability later in the video increases employers' viewing time but leaves callback rates unchanged.Citation
Bellemare, Charles, Marion Goussé, Guy Lacroix, and Steeve Marchand. 2023. "Physical Disability and Labor Market Discrimination: Evidence from a Video Résumé Field Experiment." American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 15 (4): 452-76. DOI: 10.1257/app.20210633Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- C93 Field Experiments
- J14 Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-labor Market Discrimination
- J23 Labor Demand
- J24 Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
- J71 Labor Discrimination
- K31 Labor Law
- M51 Personnel Economics: Firm Employment Decisions; Promotions
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