Algorithm-driven Hiring Tools: Innovative Recruitment or Expedited Disability Discrimination? The Centre for Democracy & Technology.
Algorithm-driven hiring tools have grown increasingly prevalent in recent years. Thousands of job-seekers across the United States are now asked to record videos that employers mine for facial and vocal cues. Employers using these tools seek a fast and efficient way to process job applications in large numbers. They may also believe that algorithm-driven software will identify characteristics of successful employees that human recruiters would not identify on their own. But as these algorithms have spread in adoption, so, too, has the risk of discrimination written invisibly into their codes. For people with disabilities, those risks can be profound. This paper seeks to highlight how hiring tools may affect people with disabilities, the legal liability employers may face for using such tools, and concrete steps for employers and vendors to mitigate some of the most significant areas of concern. We hope it will serve as a resource for advocates, for regulators, and – above all – for those deciding whether to develop or use these tools to consider the risks of discrimination, and ultimately to ask if the tools are appropriate for use at all.
