Do black lives matter to employers? A combined field and natural experiment of racially disparate hiring practices in the wake of protests against police violence and racial oppression

PLoS One. 2022 May 25;17(5):e0267889. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267889. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

This study uses an experimental audit design, implemented both before and during the heightened unrest following the murder of George Floyd, to gauge the impact of Black Lives Matter and associated protests against police brutality and anti-Black racism on racially disparate hiring practices. We contrast treatment of fictitious Black and White job applicants in the labor market for service-related job openings, specifically applicants with prior experience as a police officer, firefighter, or code enforcement officer. Results reveal that the White advantage in employer call-backs and requests for an interview receded during the protests and unrest following the killing of George Floyd, even to the point of producing a Black advantage.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Black People
  • Black or African American
  • Humans
  • Police*
  • Racism* / prevention & control
  • Violence

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the British Academy (PF19\100020 to MR), the John Fell Fund of the Oxford University Press (to DK), and the Leverhulme Trust through the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science (to DK). The funders did not play any role in the study design, data collection and analysis, the decision to publish, or the preparation of the manuscript.