Applicants with a foreign name were 32 percent less likely than one with a Norwegian name to be invited for a job interview, according to new research published in the Norwegian Journal of Social Research.
As part of an experiment, 2,779 fictitious job applications were sent to openings between 2016 and 2018. The made-up applicants, from 37 different countries, had similar qualifications, but different names to reflect different backgrounds and a sentence about country of origin.
Job seekers with names associated with the Middle East, Africa and South Asia faced the highest levels of discrimination.
Meanwhile, applications from Europeans, Americans and Russians were also subject to discrimination, although less than those from the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.
Southeast and East Asian applicants faced similar levels of discrimination to those from Europe, America and Russia.
The study wrote that there was an ethnic, religious and gender hierarchy in place in Norway’s job market.
“The ethnic hierarchy we document in Norway is also largely consistent with the main conclusions of international discrimination research, namely that job seekers with a background from European countries are less likely to be discriminated against than applicants with a background from Africa and Asia, and that Muslims are particularly vulnerable to discrimination,” the report read.
Additionally, no significant difference in the level of discrimination faced by first-generation immigrants compared to those born in Norway to immigrant parents was found.
Researchers said that despite anti-discrimination policies and laws, the level of bias has remained mostly unchanged and that current strategies needed an overhaul.
Overall, the levels of discrimination shown against foreign job hunters in Norway were broadly in line with global averages.
The Local’s own readers have shared their stories of how they felt having a foreign name held them back in Norway.
READ MORE: How foreign names impact life in Norway
Having issues landing a job and progressing careers was a common theme among readers, with the majority saying they felt a foreign name had affected their prospects.
Discrimination also bled into other areas, with others sharing how they would be spoken down to by medical professionals or that finding a place to live was much harder. The topic of landlords being reluctant to let out their properties to foreigners was also an issue brought up in a survey on renting.
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