Recently, high profile celebrities Kayne West and Kyrie Irving came under fire after making antisemetic statements, which comedian Dave Chappelle then addressed in his opening monologue on Saturday Night Live.
With concerns of rising antisemitism in the U.S., these incidents provoke much needed conversations about antisemitism, including it’s presence in hiring and the workplace.
In November, ResumeBuilder.com surveyed 1,131 hiring managers and recruiters (Note: from hereon we refer to the surveyed group exclusively as hiring managers) about their views of Jewish individuals and perception of the presence of antisemitism in the workplace.
Our findings revealed that there is an alarming amount of antisemitism within companies, a great deal of which is considered acceptable.
Key findings include:
- 26% of hiring managers say they are less likely to move forward with Jewish applicants; top reason for negative bias is belief Jews have too much power and control
- 26% make assumptions about whether a candidate is Jewish based on their appearance
- 23% say they want fewer Jews in their industry
- 17% say leadership has told them to not hire Jews
- 33% say antisemitism is common in their workplace; 29% say antisemitism is acceptable in their company
1 in 4 hiring managers are less likely to move forward with Jewish applicants
Jewish applicants are frequently passed over by hiring managers. In fact, 26% of hiring managers say they are less likely to move forward with Jewish applicants.
Additionally, 29% say they know of colleagues who are negatively biased against Jewish applicants.
When asked how they come to believe that an applicant is Jewish, 56% say it’s because it was directly stated by the applicant. However, many also make assumptions based on the applicant’s educational background (35%), last name (33%), past or current experiences with Jewish organizations (28%), and even their appearance (26%).
Respondents also wrote in a number of derogatory comments regarding how they identify an individual as Jewish. These write-in responses included: “voice,” “mannerisms,” and “they are very frugal.”
Top reason for negative bias is belief Jews have too much power and control
When asked why they are less likely to move forward with Jewish applicants, the top reasons include Jews have too much power and control (38%), claim to be the ‘chosen people’ (38%), and have too much wealth (35%).
Respondents also selected a number of other disturbing answer choices as the reasons for their bias.
Nearly 1 in 4 say their industry should have fewer Jews
When asked about Jewish participation in their industry, 23% say it’s their belief that their industry should have fewer Jewish employees.
We collected data on what industry survey respondents work in. When further evaluating industries that had at least 25 respondents, there appears to be more prejudice in certain sectors, including business, construction, education, entertainment, finance, and technology.
More specifically, compared to 26% of hiring managers across all sectors, 40% of hiring managers in entertainment say they are less likely to move forward with Jewish candidates, as do 37% of hiring managers in business and 37% in finance.
Additionally, 38% of hiring managers in finance, 34% in technology, and 31% in business say they believe their industry should have fewer Jews. This is compared to 23% of overall managers.
1 in 6 have been told to not hire Jewish applicants by leadership
Seventeen percent of hiring managers say they have been told to not hire Jewish applicants by company leadership. This is true of more hiring managers in education (30%), entertainment (28%), and business (26%).
One-third say antisemitism is common in their workplace
Furthermore, 33% of hiring managers say antisemitism is ‘very common’ (14%) or ‘common’ (19%) in their workplace, while 29% say antisemitism is ‘very acceptable’ (17%) or ‘somewhat acceptable’ (12%) at their company.
Additionally, 48% of hiring managers in both education and entertainment say antisemitism is common, while a staggering 45% of hiring managers in business say antisemitism is acceptable in their workplace.
Nearly 1 in 10 say they have a less favorable attitude toward Jews now than 5 years ago
Nine percent of hiring managers say they have a less favorable attitude toward Jews now than 5 years ago, while 31% say they think more favorably of Jews; 60% say their attitude is unchanged.
Hiring managers who have a less favorable opinion of Jews are far more likely to discriminate against Jews in the hiring process. Of those with a diminished opinion of Jews, 62% say they are less likely to move forward with Jewish applicants, and 78% believe their industry should have fewer Jewish employees. Furthermore, within this group, 72% say antisemitism is common and 70% say antisemitism is acceptable in their workplace.
Stacie Haller, executive recruiter and career counselor, notes that this data is disturbing, and that companies need to not only be aware of the presence of antisemitism in their organizations, but also need to take meaningful steps toward combating hate and prejudice.
“This data shows a disturbing number of hiring managers not only admit to having a negative bias against Jewish applicants, but also, that they actively want to keep Jews out of their workplace,” says Haller.
“Antisemitism in the workplace starts at the hiring process with individuals who do not want to higher Jews because of bigoted stereotypes, but that is not where it ends. Given that nearly one-third say antisemitism is common and acceptable in their workplace, it’s evident that antisemitism extends way beyond the hiring process.
“In this era of fighting for equality in hiring, Jewish individuals have largely been left out of the conversation, and the issue of antisemitism has for the most part gone unaddressed.
“Organizations need to commit to oversight, training, and having meaningful conversations about antisemitism. Removing prejudice and ensuring the workplace is equal, fair, and accessible for all is not an easy challenge for organizations to tackle, but it’s absolutely essential.”
