Differences in Hireability Ratings Based on Political Orientation, Gender, and Ethnicity

Abstract

Labor markets in many countries are facing increasing challenges due to aging populations and a lack of skilled workers. Simultaneously, societal changes and migration are contributing to increased diversity, while political polarization exacerbates divisions between people. These dynamics create a complex interplay, where growing diversity is both a response to and a source of tension within polarized societies. With these two studies, we examined the interaction of political affiliation with gender (Study 1) and ethnicity (Study 2) on hireability ratings to acknowledge the role of intersectionality. We conducted experiments in Germany, asking participants to evaluate the hireability of an applicant based on a LinkedIn profile. In both studies, the political affiliation of the applicant was manipulated to be either right‐wing or left‐wing. In the first study, we additionally manipulated the applicant's gender (N = 331), while in the second study, we varied the applicant's ethnicity (N = 208). Consistent with the assumptions of the political affiliation model, we observed in both studies that political value similarity predicted perceived similarity, which in turn positively affected hireability ratings. In both studies, right‐wing applicants were rated as significantly less hireable than the left‐wing applicants. However, we did not observe any effects of gender or ethnicity, nor their interactions with the applicant's political affiliation on hireability ratings. Our results suggest that political orientation can influence hiring processes above and beyond demographic characteristics. Applicants should consider whether they disclose their political engagement during selection processes.