Hiring discrimination of young people in the Paris area :

This study aims to evaluate the results of a test of the access to interviews of young men of French and North African origin in order to highlight the possible existence and extent of discriminatory practices against persons of foreign origin (North African). We innovate by the fact that we have voluntarily increased the productive characteristics of one of the candidates compared to the other candidates, conducted to enhance its chances of employment. The method of "testing" is a suitable method that enables us to collect data using a controlled experiment and to compare the access to employment interviews of different candidates by sending job applications that are equivalent (with the exception of the variable to test) to job offers. Using the “testing” method,we constructed three profiles of job seekers: two young men of North African origin and a young man of French origin. We have deliberately increased the productive characteristics of one of the two candidates of North African origin compared to the other candidates. We sent 441 applications in response to 147 job opportunities in the Paris area between late July - late August 2010. The results reveal discriminatory practices against the candidates of North African origin. These practices are only slightly offset by a higher education as the candidate most qualified of North African origin has less access to job interviews that the French candidate, but more than the other candidate of North African origin. We interpret these results by a statistical discrimination faced by young people of North African origin. While the educational degree increases the chances of access to job interviews, the North African origin remains however disadvantageous.