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Study: Swiss recruiters favour men over women

The Local
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Study: Swiss recruiters favour men over women
Photo: Barn Images

Men are twice as likely as women to be considered for a job by employers searching for candidates on job websites, according to a study.

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Online job site JobCloud -- which owns jobup.ch and jobs.ch -- teamed up with Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) to study how employers use profiles that job hunters post online, reported 20 Minuten.
 
The analysis showed that men’s profiles are clicked on almost twice as much as women’s. 
 
On average a women’s profile gains 16 views a month, against 31 for a man’s.
 
That’s despite the fact there are more female than male profiles on job sites.  
 
Speaking to the paper, Frank Hannich of ZHAW said there were various reasons for this, one being the fact there are more jobs available in the male-dominated fields of mechanical engineering, computer science and construction.
 
Most employers are recruiting for full-time positions, where men are more strongly represented, he added.
 
Though the study couldn’t prove it, “it could be that men simply sell themselves better or that those responsible for hiring consciously or unconsciously discriminate against women,” he said. 
 
Responding to the study Clivia Koch from the Swiss Association of Business Women said she was not surprised, and that there was “clear discrimination” against women during the recruiting process. 
 
Men are often perceived as more driven, she told the paper, while employers are often put off women by the fact they may want to start a family. 
 
But this treatment is usually subconscious, she added.
 
In addition, women are usually modest on their CVs and only apply for jobs where they meet all the requirements, while men are good at selling themselves, said Koch.

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