ABSTRACT
This chapter utilizes a new technique for empirical research on these questions, employment “testing” or “auditing.” It outlines, gaps in empirical information that testing can address. The chapter describes the testing approach and illustrates its power with results from initial applications. It demonstrates that hiring discrimination remains far more prevalent than is commonly assumed. Economists define employment discrimination as “valuation in the labor market of personal characteristics which are unrelated to productivity.” Employment testing may be defined as a social science procedure creating controlled conditions under which to measure employers’ candid responses to the personal characteristics of job seekers. Simultaneously, the effect of characteristics unrelated to productivity are subjected to experimentation by pairing testers who differ in one personal characteristic. While indicating the continuing need for traditional enforcement of civil rights laws, testing results also suggest the desirability of some refocusing of efforts. The chapter concludes with suggested directions for future public and private efforts against bias.
