How Prevalent is Discrimination in Career Networking?

Abstract information

Inserting oneself into networks on platforms like LinkedIn is an important aspect of job hunting in the contemporary world. In this video, WLADISLAW MILL analyses some aspects of how such networks operate for minorities in the US. Creating male profiles that were identical except for AI generated photographs that signalled ethnic differences, the study shows that minorities are clearly discriminated against in terms of admission to networks. The authors were surprised to document discriminatory behavior less with older than younger people and more with females than males. Further work will look to extend the study beyond the US, to use also female profiles and to test tools developed in a field setting.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21036/LTPUB101155

Researcher

Wladislaw Mill is an Assistant Professor of Behavioral Economics at the University of Mannheim. Having pursued research at the University of Zurich and the University of California, Berkley, Mill completed his PhD in Economics in collaboration with the International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) in Jena in 2018. Mill’s research interests include behavioural and experimental economics, applied microeconomics and auction theory. His work has been published in the European Economic Review, Experimental Economics and many other outlets.

Institution information

University of Mannheim (Universität Mannheim)

For generations, the University of Mannheim has been preparing students to take on leadership roles in business, academia, and society. One of the university’s strengths in this task is its profile, which is characterized by the economic and social sciences. It is in these fields that the University of Mannheim has repeatedly been ranked as one of the top 20 European research institutions. Key focuses of Mannheim researchers include decision-making processes and elections, governance, regulation, competition and innovation, migration and multilingualism, and the culture of change. The campus surrounding Mannheim’s baroque palace is a place where bright minds from across the globe come together to learn, discuss, research, and prepare to make their mark on the world.

University of Mannheim (Universität Mannheim)

Original Publication

LinkedOut? A Field Experiment on Discrimination in Job Network Formation

Yulia Evsyukova

,

Felix Rusche

,

Wladislaw Mill

Published in 2024