Algorithmic Monocultures in Hiring: Largest Study of 3.4 Million Applicants Reveals Widespread Vendor Concentration
By
Rishi Bommasani* Stanford University
A baker's-dozen of insight crammed into one ring.
Summary
This paper presents the largest empirical study of algorithmic hiring to date, analyzing data from 3.4 million real job applicants who submitted 4 million applications to 156 employers across 11 market sectors. The research reveals that over 90% of U.S. employers rely on hiring algorithms, and many use algorithms from the same few vendors, creating "algorithmic monocultures" in the hiring process. Every application in the study was assessed by algorithmic screening tools, raising concerns about uniformity, bias, and lack of diversity in candidate evaluation methods.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledOver 90% of U.S. employers rely on hiring algorithms to screen job applicants.
Many different employers use algorithms from the same few vendors.
We conduct the largest empirical study of algorithmic hiring with data for 3.4 million real job applicants submitting 4 million applications to 156 employers across 11 market sectors.
You might also wanna read
Study Finds AI Hiring Tools Favor AI-Generated Resumes Over Human-Written Ones
This research paper empirically investigates self-preference bias in large language models (LLMs) within the hiring context. Through a large
arXiv.org·1mo ago
Research Study: Generative AI as Seniority-Biased Technological Change in U.S. Labor Markets
This research paper examines whether generative AI represents a form of seniority-biased technological change that disproportionately affect
Job Seekers Reject AI Interviewers, Citing Dehumanization and Poor Company Culture
Job seekers are increasingly encountering AI interviewers during their job search, leading to mixed reactions of confusion, intrigue, and fr
fortune.com·10mo ago
HackerRank Reinvents Developer Hiring for AI Agent Era
HackerRank, a Y Combinator-backed company, is reinventing its developer hiring platform for the AI agent era. The company is shifting hiring
news.ycombinator.com·2mo ago
AI-driven hiring creates dysfunctional cycle for entry-level job seekers
The article examines the brutal state of the entry-level job market, focusing on a recent UC Davis graduate named Harris who struggles to fi
theatlantic.com·9mo ago
Understanding Search Algorithms: A Programmer's Late-Night Realization About Computer vs Human Search
The article is a personal narrative about a programmer's late-night realization about search algorithms while working on a file system proje