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Employees who can easily change jobs are less likely to experience workplace discrimination. When dealing with a discriminatory employer, job mobility acts as an important incentive: If you can leave more easily, your employer will often make greater efforts to combat discrimination and retain you. That's what André van Hoorn writes in Economic and Industrial Democracy.
Unfortunately, workplace discrimination still occurs, but in practice, not every person within a vulnerable group is affected to the same extent. Van Hoorn investigated differences within groups, such as employees with a migrant background or a disability. However, the research shows that even within these groups, some people experience discrimination more frequently than others. A key reason for this is more limited labor mobility.
Labor mobility helps
Van Hoorn analyzed data from more than 20,000 employees in 32 countries. Nearly one in five workers (18.4%) reported experiencing workplace discrimination over a five-year period. The economist mapped out how and why individuals within different groups experience discrimination. Groups with lower labor mobility appear to be affected more frequently. "People who can switch employers more easily experience discrimination less often," Van Hoorn explains.
"The data show that people who are stuck in their jobs are more likely to face discrimination. If you can leave easily, an employer often realizes this too. And if you're a mobile worker experiencing an unpleasant situation, your employer will be more inclined to intervene and create a better working environment. Because if the situation doesn't improve, your employer knows that you'll soon be able to move on to a more inclusive workplace. As a result, external job mobility acts both as a shield with your current employer and as an escape route to a new job."
Investing in skills and better public transportation
Mobility is determined by various factors. Accessibility plays a role: If there are many companies in the area offering similar vacancies, you're more likely to leave. Van Hoorn said, "If the government invests in better public transportation services, this increases the mobility of these groups. With more trains and better buses, you can reach more employers."
Your own skills also play a part: The more skills you have, the more sought-after you are by more companies—and by your current employer. "It certainly doesn't hurt to make yourself indispensable to an organization. But even better is to develop precisely those skills that make you highly attractive in the labor market in general. Then an employer will also go to greater lengths to retain you."
A task for society as a whole
According to Van Hoorn, current anti-discrimination laws often fall short. "In practice, it is difficult to combat smaller, everyday forms of discrimination. What can you do? Give people the opportunity to switch jobs, so they aren't tied to one company. Because by no means do all companies discriminate, or to the same extent."
However, Van Hoorn warns, "This is not intended to suggest that we should stop tackling the root causes of discrimination. Reducing discrimination is not an individual task, but a task for society as a whole."
André van Hoorn, Which workers are more likely to be discriminated against? External job mobility predicts discrimination with regard to work, Economic and Industrial Democracy (2026). DOI: 10.1177/0143831x261452008
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