Sunday, March 23, 2014

Why Hiring Prejudice Against the Long-term Unemployed?

Paul Krugman links to a study on long-term unemployment which finds: “it’s really hard to get employers to look at people who have been out of work for an extended period, so any sustained increase in long-term unemployment tends to become permanent.”

Which is interesting and important. But rather than look at the macroeconomic issues raised, I'd like to ask: why this is employer policy? It isn't random: hiring managers, HR managers, or both are choosing not to hire people who have been out of work for a long time. Why?

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1 comment:

  1. YogiMarch 23, 2014 at 5:47 PM

    2 reasons: First, because historically (meaning in the "job life" of most hiring managers, etc, being unemployed long-term was a huge red flag. Second, being unemployed long-term usually means you are older, and more expensive, and more wise in the ways of corporate bullshit, and therefore less desirable.

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