Behavioral tests show that the origin of the candidate causes a difference in treatment and influence the probability of being invited to a job interview. In Belgium, job applicants with foreign sounding names have 30% less chances of being invited to a job interview compared to applicants with a similar profile but Belgian sounding names.

Other characteristics such as nationality, origin and skin colour affect the chances of the candidates’ selection. 20% of Belgians prefer not to have a person of foreign origin as a colleague, let alone as a chef. One person of foreign origin out of three believes that his/her Belgian colleagues have difficulties accepting.

Today, we ask what can we learn from the top private sector stakeholders in recruiting and managing a diverse workforce?