Doctoral Dissertation Research: Private-Sector Recruitment Practices in Brazil

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

SES-1203332 Sandra Smith and Felipe Dias University of California, Berkeley Abstract Doctoral Dissertation Research: Private-Sector Recruitment Practices in Brazil This study examines how perceptions affect hiring decisions. The project is grounded in literature on the sociology of labor markets, much of which has been conducted with a focus on hiring practices in the United States. As a case study in point, this project examines hiring processes in corporations located in Brazil, where hiring norms differ significantly from the US and Western Europe. The study also examines whether the gender and race of the applicant affects hiring decisions. The project employs an experimental design that involves vignettes (audit study). Managers associated with selected companies in two cities will be presented with matched resumes of applicants, who represent distinct demographic categories but resemble each other in terms of socioeconomic and human capital dimensions. Broader Impacts Brazil is one of the world's largest economies and a major trading partner of the U.S. Employers around the world continue to finetune ways to optimize the recruitment and retention of workers. This also involves adjudicating between qualifications related to human capital and broader company goals, including but not limited to workforce diversity goals. Findings could be of interest to employers, unions, and policy makers. Moreover, findings will be of interest to scholars interested in the social construction of race and its impact on social mobility.