November 29, 2022 — New York
American Jewish Committee (AJC) has expressed grave concerns over the findings of a new survey of hiring managers regarding current and prospective Jewish employees.
“The rampant antisemitism by hiring managers revealed in the survey, if accurate, is not only alarming but also blatantly illegal under federal law,” said AJC CEO Ted Deutch. “Employers may not discriminate on the basis of race or religion. That so many hiring managers reportedly admitted they would willingly violate the civil rights of Jewish job candidates, regardless of their qualifications, is disturbing. Anti-Jewish discrimination has no place in the workplace or anywhere else.”
The survey, carried out by Pollfish for the website ResumeBuilder found that of those who responded, one in four hiring managers are less likely to move forward with Jewish candidates, and 32% say antisemitism is common in their workplace.
In a letter to ResumeBuilder, AJC is seeking clarification about the survey design. “In order for AJC to determine if we should alert the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), it is important for us to review the methodological soundness of the survey,” wrote Deutch. The AJC letter included a series of probing questions about the ResumeBuilder survey content and methodology.
“If ResumeBuilder’s survey is accurate, these findings lead to a number of serious issues that aren’t just troubling but point to illegal hiring practices that have far-reaching implications for the Jewish community and the American workplace,” wrote Deutch.
