Introduction to the special issue on employment discrimination against immigrants

Abstract

Purpose

This editorial aims to introduce the special issue on employment discrimination against immigrants.

Design/methodology/approach

The first part is a commentary on key issues in the study of employment discrimination against immigrants. The second part presents the five articles in the special issue.

Findings

The papers in this special issue focus on a variety of issues associated with employment discrimination against immigrants. For example, they consider: discrimination based on accents; differences among justice perceptions among immigrants and non‐immigrants; the effects of negative stereotypes on workplace outcomes; the treatment of Hispanic immigrants; and the reasons for the lack of research on Hispanic immigrants.

Research limitations/implications

The author comments on key issues that researchers of employment discrimination against immigrants have to take into account. These issues include: the appreciation of the diversity among immigrants; an understanding of the complexity of employment discrimination research; openness to cross‐disciplinary approaches; and the consideration of employment discrimination within the context of the immigrant experience. The five articles that make up the special issues vary in their nature (empirical, critical), methodologies (quantitative, qualitative), locations (United States, Germany, and Canada), and implications.

Practical implications

The issues discussed in the papers have important implications for understanding and overcoming employment discrimination against immigrants.

Originality/value

The Journal of Managerial Psychology invited this special issue to initiate psychological research on employment discrimination against immigrants. The intent is to draw the attention of organizational scholars to the large, yet under‐studied immigrant segment of the workforce.

Citation

Dietz, J. (2010), "Introduction to the special issue on employment discrimination against immigrants", Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 25 No. 2, pp. 104-112. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683941011019320