Study Reveals Persistent Hiring Discrimination Against North African Job Seekers in France

Entitled "Discrimination in hiring people of presumed Maghrebian origin: what lessons can be learned from a large testing study?", this study also shows that discrimination is even stronger in low-skilled jobs. Prior to this study, other surveys had previously proven the extent of discrimination in hiring against Maghrebians.

In 2020, the Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad (CCME) indicated that 64% of young Moroccans say they have been victims of discrimination in all its forms, according to a poll. The new study was conducted between December 2019 and April 2021, with an interruption between March and June 2020 (due to the lockdown), and was based on the creation of fictitious applications sent in response to real job offers.

It has proven that applications whose identity suggests a Maghrebian origin have 31.5% less chance of being contacted by recruiters than those with a French-sounding first and last name. "Employers refuse 20.5% more frequently applications whose identity is of Maghrebian consonance than those whose identity is of French consonance," the study notes.

Employment for all remains a luxury for many Maghrebians, who must fight harder before making their way in society. According to the study, discrimination against candidates of Maghrebian immigrant background leads to a 20% gap in access to a job interview. Similarly, when two out of four candidates are called, those with a French-sounding name are favored in 6% of cases.

Private initiatives and public policies are trying as best they can to promote diversity in companies, such as the obligation imposed on companies with more than 300 employees by the law of January 27, 2017. The study indicates that women are also affected, whether they are single or not.