Experimental Design
To assess labor market discrimination in Malaysia, we will utilize a correspondence study. Using this method, fictitious job applications are sent to employers that have advertised a job opening. Each job ad is randomly assigned a specific applicant profile. In this way, the applicant profile is the randomly assigned "treatment." The only meaningful differences between applicant profiles is the name (and contact information) of the applicant, which signals ethnicity and/or gender, and a signal of soft skills. By randomly assigning an applicant profile, these characteristics are randomly assigned. Using this method, the study will causally identify the degree of discrimination in hiring in two ways: by calculating the difference in the interview request rate between the various groups and by calculating the difference in the average number of profile views after applying to a job. We perform this analysis for five different degree specializations: Accounting, Business Administration, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering.