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 U.S. 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.”
Methodology
All data found within this report derives from a survey commissioned by ResumeBuilder.com and conducted online by survey platform Pollfish. In total, 1,131 U.S. hiring managers and recruiters were surveyed.
Appropriate respondents were found via employment status demographic criteria and a screening question. To take the survey respondents had to be employed and work as a hiring manager or recruiter.
The survey uses a convenience sampling method, and therefore, is not necessarily generalizable to the general population of U.S. hiring managers and recruiters. You can learn more about how Pollfish’s methodology works here.
This survey was conducted on November 18, 2022. All respondents were asked to answer all questions truthfully and to the best of their abilities.
You can view the full survey data here.
For more information, please email [email protected]
Survey Questions:
Screening Question: Please choose the option below that best describes your involvement in hiring employees.
- I am a recruiter
- I am a hiring manager
- I am not involved in hiring employees
- None of the above
Q1. Which industry do you work in?
- Agriculture
- Business
- Construction
- Defense
- Education
- Energy
- Entertainment
- Fashion
- Finance
- Food
- Health
- Law
- Manufacturing
- Media
- Public Service
- Real Estate
- Retail
- Service
- Technology
- Transportation
- Other
Q2. Which of the following, if any, are ways that you come to believe that an applicant is Jewish?
- Their last name
- Directly stated by the applicant
- Their educational background (i.e., attended a Jewish school)
- Applicant has past or current experience with a Jewish organization
- Their appearance
- None of the above
- Other
Q3: Please choose one or more of the options below that apply to your experience in hiring. [Multiple select]
- I have caught myself viewing or intentionally viewed a Jewish applicant with negative bias
- I know of colleagues who are negatively biased against Jewish applicants
- None of the above
Q4: Do you believe you are less likely to move forward with Jewish applicants?
- Yes, I am less likely to move forward with Jewish applicants
- No, I am NOT less likely to move forward with Jewish applicants
Q5: Why are you less likely to move forward with Jewish applicants? (Only those who selected Q4A) [multi-select]
- Jews have too much wealth
- Jews have too much power and control
- Jews claim to be the ‘chosen people’
- Jews killed Jesus
- Jews are an inferior race
- Jews are greedy
- Jews are oppressors
- Jews are less capable
- Other
Q6. Which of the following best describes you?
- I believe my industry should have fewer Jewish employees
- I do NOT believe my industry should have fewer Jewish employees
Q7. Why do you believe your industry should have fewer Jewish employees? (Only those who selected Q6A) [multi-select]
- Jews have too much wealth
- Jews have too much power and control
- Jews claim to be the ‘chosen people’
- Jews killed Jesus
- Jews are an inferior race
- Jews are greedy
- Jews are oppressors
- Jews are less capable
- Other
Q8. How common would you say antisemitism (prejudice against Jewish people) is at your company?
- Very common
- Common
- Unsure
- Not very common
- Not common at all
Q9. How acceptable is antisemitism (prejudice against Jewish people) at your company?
- Very acceptable
- Somewhat acceptable
- Not sure
- Somewhat unacceptable
- Very unacceptable
Q10. True or False? “I have been told to not hire Jewish applicants by leadership.”
- True
- False
Q11. How has your attitude changed toward Jews in the past 5 years?
- I think LESS favorably of Jews
- I think MORE favorably of Jews
- Unchanged