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Employers rate non-employed applicants by reason for absence

Two people sit at a desk in a modern office environment with wooden shelving in the background; one person wearing a green shirt faces away from the camera while the other, wearing professional attire with long dark hair, smiles and gestures while looking at a laptop screen between them.
Research area:Labour economicsEconomics and EconometricsEmployment and Welfare Studies

What the study found

Employers ranked non-employed applicants differently depending on the reason for their career break. Applicants with training breaks were rated highest, while discouraged workers were rated lowest.

Why the authors say this matters

The authors say the findings matter because stigma around inactivity can make it harder for unemployed and inactive people to return to work. The study suggests that understanding when and why non-employment is penalized may help explain barriers to hiring.

What the researchers tested

The researchers used a vignette experiment in which real-life recruiters rated fictitious applicants with different non-employment breaks. They asked recruiters to judge hireability and productivity.

What worked and what didn't

Training-related breaks worked best in the ratings: these applicants scored highest for hireability and for perceived skills, motivation, cognition, discipline, reliability, flexibility, and trainability. Former caregivers were rated highly for social skills but lower for flexibility, the previously ill were seen as more motivated than the unemployed but raised health concerns, and discouraged applicants received the harshest stigma, especially for motivation and self-discipline. Longer gaps reduced hireability, except when the break was for training.

What to keep in mind

The abstract does not describe detailed limitations. The findings come from recruiter judgments of fictitious applicants in a vignette experiment, so the results are about ratings in that setting.

Key points

  • Training breaks were rated highest among non-employed applicants.
  • Discouraged workers were rated lowest by recruiters.
  • Former caregivers were seen as socially skilled but less flexible.
  • Previously ill applicants were seen as more motivated than unemployed applicants, but health concerns remained.
  • Longer non-employment breaks lowered hireability, except for training-related breaks.

Disclosure

Research title:
Employers rate non-employed applicants by reason for absence
Authors:
Liam D’hert, Louis Lippens, Stijn Baert
Institutions:
Ghent University, UCLouvain
Publication date:
2026-03-07
DOI:
10.1016/j.labeco.2026.102881
OpenAlex record:
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AI provenance: This post was generated by OpenAI. The original authors did not write or review this post.

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