89% of candidates believe recruiters show bias when hiring – Tribepad

In their latest ‘Stop the Bias’ report, Tribepad found that nine in 10 people (89%) believed they are likely to suffer prejudice when applying for a role.

When Tribepad first conducted its ‘Stop the Bias’ research in 2022, every individual surveyed said there was something about themselves that they believed would hold them back in the recruitment process.

In the latest report, 11% chose the option ‘none of the above,’ suggesting some progress.

Age was the biggest concern, while mental health and weight moved into the top five, while ethnicity and gender had become less of a concern.

The number of candidates concerned that mental health could be used against them rose by a third, from 13% in 2022 to 19% in 2023, correlating with the growth of numbers suffering with mental health issues.

According to Tribepad, 57% of candidates said they were afraid of bias around being too old, 25% were concerned about biases around personal appearance including hair, skin and clothes, and 23% feared judgement around learning disabilities.

19% were afraid of their mental health issues being a disadvantage, and 18% were concerned about their weight being an issue.

Meanwhile, 18% were afraid of applying for a job as parents, while 17% of the women surveyed were concerned about pregnancy getting in the way.