Discrimination in American and European Labor Markets: An International Meta-Analysis of Field Experiments

Studies suggest that labor market discrimination against racial and ethnic minority groups is present in most countries around the world. Yet little is established about how discrimination rates vary across countries and the influence of national conditions on discrimination rates. We address this gap through a cross‐national meta‐analysis analysis of field experiments. Field experiments of hiring discrimination are experimental studies in which fictionalized candidates from different racial or ethnic groups apply for jobs. We focus on contrasts for nine countries with extensive numbers of field experiments: the United States, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Canada, Belgium, Sweden, Norway, and Germany. Based on 88 field experiments containing 145 estimates of hiring discrimination against racial or ethnic minority groups, we find considerable variation in hiring discrimination across countries. France and Sweden have the highest rates of discrimination; UK, Belgium and Canada occupy a middle position; while Norway, the US, the Netherlands and Germany