A recent study commissioned by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) revealed that Jewish professionals, including recent college graduates, face significant discrimination in the American job market.
The study’s authors created over 3,000 job applications and inquiries, ensuring they were nearly identical except for subtle variations, such as the applicant’s name. These slight differences were designed to signal one of three identities: “Western European,” “Jewish,” or “Israeli.” The findings revealed that on average, Jewish applicants had to apply to roughly 24 percent more jobs than their Western European counterparts to receive the same number of responses. For Israeli applicants, this figure increased to 39 percent.
Author Dr. Bryan Tomlin said in a press release that the study marks an important step towards preventing job market discrimination, stressing that such discrimination can be difficult to prove absent a quantitative investigation.
“Without the benefit of a study of this kind, it is difficult, if not impossible, to prove adverse treatment in the labor market based on one’s religion or cultural identity,” Tomlin said, according to The Algemeiner. “This study shows that Jewish and Israeli Americans may be missing out on job opportunities just because of their identity, not their qualifications, and it provides a start toward quantifying some of these more subtle but still harmful symptoms of antisemitism.”
Tomlin works in the Department of Economics at California State University, Channel Islands, where his research focuses on Labor and Employment economics. Tomlin also works as a regulation and public policy consultant.
ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt stressed the significance of Tomlin’s findings, highlighting the need for employers to take anti-Semitic discrimination seriously.
“This is groundbreaking evidence of serious antisemitic discrimination in the labor market,” Greenblatt stated. “On top of increasing antisemitic incidents and growing antisemitic beliefs, this landmark study illustrates the very real need for employers to take anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli prejudice more seriously to have a workplace that works for everyone.”
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Tomlin told Campus Reform that this discrimination may be especially severe for Jewish-American students and recent graduates.
“The outcome of this research suggests that – at least within the markets examined by the study – Jewish graduates may miss out on some opportunities for no reason other than their heritage,” Tomlin said.
Campus Reform has reached out to Dr. Tomlin and the ADL for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
This article was originally published at campusreform.org
