The aim of the project is to increase equality and inclusion in recruitment processes in Helsinki and to  encourage those with 'foreign-sounding' names - many of whom have third-country backgrounds - to apply to more job vacancies. The assumption is that the possibility of being invited to the interview stage of the recruitment process increases when all personal information - such as the applicant’s name, date of birth, gender, address and native language - is removed, leaving decisions to be made based solely on the skills and experience outlined in the application. A further aim is to highlight the prevalence of existing stereotypes and unconscious bias. The introduction of anonymous recruitment in Helsinki was initially proposed by 38 city councilors in 2018.

During the project those undergoing recruitment processes could not attach documents containing personal information, such as a photo or separate curricula vitae (CV), to their job application. In addition, application forms included a request that applicants do not share pertinent personal information, including details of their family situation or any health conditions.

Project participants were organised into different groups according to their fields, such as social and health, transportation, urban environment, and education. Their applications were kept completely anonymous until the interview stage of the process. After that stage, all relevant personal information was made available to recruiters.

The 2020 pilot involved a total of 99 job openings and 2 773 applicants, and led to 62 hires. Anonymous recruitment was used most often by the Education and Training Division of the municipality (31 recruitments), as well as in the Helsinki Service Centre (6), City Hall (5), Health and Social Services (4), culture and leisure services (3) and in transport (2). In 4 of the anonymous recruitments, a human error occurred and anonymity was therefore not fully achieved.

Results from the project demonstrate that applicants with a foreign-sounding name are more likely to be called to an interview when applying for a job anonymously. For these applicants, when applying anonymously the probability that they will be called to an interview increases by 5% relative to the figure for applicants with Finnish-sounding names. Overall, the initiative led to a greater number of people applying to open job vacancies in Helsinki, with an increase in the number of women applying in particular. It therefore seems that anonymous hiring practices encourage women to apply.

The current government of Finland has stated in their government programme that they will be using the findings of the anonymous recruitment pilot project to promote equality in working life. However, more research is needed to fully prevent discrimination in recruitment, and it must be remembered that this is just one way of ensuring equal opportunity.

The research findings of the project can be found attached below, in both English and Finnish.

Society overall can benefit from non-discriminatory recruitment practices, but in particular this project has benefited those with foreign-sounding names, many of whom have third-country backgrounds.

The City of Helsinki provided the funding for the project.