A recent combined study through Rutgers and Syracuse universities has shown that employers are 26% less likely to interview highly-qualified disabled candidates over their non-disabled counterparts.
The study was the first of it’s kind in the United States. In order to create a varied and fair investigation, the research team carefully constructed 6,000 fictitious resumes and cover letters for roles advertised in the accounting industry.
The study in action
The resumes were varied, and no employer received more than one application from the study. Researchers created two profiles of applicant- one of an individual with 6 years of relevant experience, and one of a candidate a year out of college. Of these, one third made no declaration of disability, one third declared they suffered from spinal cord injury and the final third declared they had Asperger’s syndrome. The reason for choosing both of these conditions was because they would have no effect on the accounting role the study targeted.
This study, although the first of its kind, it not the first to have been undertaken on this topic. Previous studies of this kind have been conducted as surveys involving hypothetical scenarios, which researchers believe may not have always been met with honest responses. One of the researchers and a Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations doctoral candidate Mason Ameri believes these kinds of field experimentations allows us to capture a “real-world experience.”
And the results show…
The applicant responses show that of the 4,000 fictitious resumes and cover letters sent to accounting roles who declared either a spinal cord injury or Asperger’s, less than 5% were contacted further. This is in comparison to the 6.6% of non-disabled applications that were contacted.
This albeit small 1.71% gap represents an overall 26% lower chance of a disabled candidate being offered an interview, despite being well-qualified for the role. Interestingly, regardless of a SCI or Asperger’s, the likelihood of interview still dropped.
