Think being Jewish is a barrier to getting hired?
Think again, or so says a new study by three University of Connecticut researchers, published in the Journal Social Currents and reported by the Washington Post. As they explain, “When you’re Jewish and searching for a job, you’re not just one of the chosen people, you’re one of the more chosen people…”
The researchers submitted 3200 fake applications to 800 jobs in the South; applicants in the control group listed no religion, while applicants in the other group listed some sort of loose religious affiliation based on activities (like belonging to a Muslim Student Association or a Hillel House.) Applicants that listed a religious affiliation were 26 percent less likely to receive a response from employers.
The study breaks up as follows: Evangelicals received the same amount of responses as the control group; Muslims received the fewest responses, followed by atheists and pagans, then Catholics and a fake religious identity known as “Wallonian.”
And those listing Jewish affiliations? They “emerged unscathed.”
In fact, researchers found that some employers seemed to favor Jewish applicants, as they were more likely than any other religious group to get an early or exclusive response from an employer.
The researchers explained that this had more to do with the South’s religious belief and large population of Evangelicals who view Jews as kindred spirits and support Israel. Researchers also note that the Jewish population in the South is small and many Jews have already assimilated easily into Southern society. Given the study’s limitations it’s hard to generalize the results, but anyway you look at it, it’s a long time since Jews were fired for refusing to work on Saturday.
Read the full article at The Washington Post.
The words of this author reflect his/her own opinions and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Orthodox Union.