Overview

• Researchers at the University of Siegen sent over 50,000 fictitious email applications to companies between 2022 and 2025 and surveyed 772 firms to assess callback disparities.
• The German-sounding name “Lukas Becker” received responses in 67.8% of applications compared with just 36.8% for the Arabic-sounding name “Habiba Mahmoud.”
• Other migrant-sound profiles such as “Ivan Smirnov,” “Ariel Rubinstein” and “Yusuf Kaya” saw response rates of 56%, 54% and 52% respectively.
• Superior school grades, youth competition awards and prior work experience failed to overcome the disadvantage faced by applicants with non-German names.
• Bias was most pronounced in small craft-sector businesses and rural regions where firms reported limited intercultural expertise and uncertainty in dealing with authorities.