ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the nature and prevalence of labour market discrimination against immigrants. First, it provides a brief overview of the theories of discrimination and outlines the key terms and concepts used in the field. Next, the chapter discusses types of discrimination, covering the concepts of intentional/explicit discrimination, subtle, unconscious bias as well as systemic discrimination. It emphasises the various indicators used to measure discrimination and highlights the complexities in detecting and evaluating discriminatory behaviour. The chapter then describes the methodologies employed by past empirical studies: the residual method that uses multivariate modelling to control for observable differences between groups in order to isolate the unexplained gap in labour market performance; and the self-report method, which relies on survey data collected from immigrant workers or employers or both. After highlighting the increasing use of field experiments for understanding labour market discrimination, the chapter concludes with recommendations for future research.
